Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
The Village of Oak Harbor has been awarded $716,135 through the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Systemic Safety Program for safety improvements near Oak Harbor High School.
The project, which will be 90-percent funded by ODOT and 10-percent funded by the village, will install pedestrian hybrid beacons (PHBs) at Brookside Drive, near the Oak Harbor High School campus, and at Ottawa Street. Unlike a conventional traffic light, PHBs remain inactive until someone activates them to cross. They then display a sequence of flashing yellow, solid yellow and red lights directing drivers to slow down and stop while the pedestrian crosses State Route 163.
The project also includes replacing deteriorated or substandard sidewalks along portions of the south side of 163 and widening them where needed. Many existing sidewalks are undersized, measuring only about four feet wide, and some sections have cracking, heaving and other conditions that make travel more difficult for people walking or using wheelchairs and other mobility devices.
“Making it safer and more comfortable for children to walk to school benefits the entire community,” Oak Harbor mayor Quinton Babcock said. “These improvements will help students reach school, connect neighborhoods and make travel safer for residents of all ages along one of Oak Harbor’s busiest corridors.”
State Route 163 connects the school campus with nearby neighborhoods, downtown Oak Harbor, parks, businesses and other community destinations. Students regularly walk or bicycle between the school and downtown, particularly before and after school activities and events. The new crossings and sidewalk improvements will make those trips safer while improving accessibility for all users.
The project supports priorities identified in the village’s 2024 Comprehensive Plan and the 2025 Oak Harbor Area Safe Routes to School Travel Plan, both of which identified safer pedestrian connections, improved accessibility and stronger links between schools, neighborhoods, parks and community destinations.
“Our residents helped identify safer crossings and better sidewalks as important priorities for Oak Harbor,” Babcock said. “This award allows us to respond to that input while continuing to invest in a community where people of all ages can safely walk to school, visit local businesses or simply getting around their neighborhood.”
Construction is expected to occur between July 1, 2030, and June 30, 2031. Engineering, in accordance with the grant award timeline, and coordination with ODOT will take place in advance of any construction. Additional information about the project schedule, construction limits and traffic impacts will be shared as design progresses.
Additional details
The ODOT’s Systemic Safety Program awarded a total of $72 million for 33 transportation projects within 23 counties in the state. The awards include 13 intersection safety projects totaling $46.8 million and 20 pedestrian and roadway departure projects totaling $25.3 million.
"Every life lost on our roadways is one too many," Governor DeWine said. "These projects target the types of crashes that are most likely to result in death or serious injury. By investing in proven safety countermeasures, we're making our transportation system safer for everyone."
Projects will be funded in the state’s fiscal years 2027 through 2032.
Roadway safety improvements funded through this round of the grant program include roundabouts, turn lanes, intersection upgrades, more visible signs and pavement markings, and high-visibility crosswalks, sidewalks, and bike lanes.
Ohio’s Highway Safety Improvement Program addresses road locations with a history of fatal or injury crashes where other safety improvements have not been effective.
In Lucas County, $1,135,568 was awarded for a protected bike lane and crossings for the Spielbush Erie Beech Bike Pedestrian project. Construction is set to begin in 2029. In Sandusky County, $5,225,000 was awarded for a roundabout on U.S. 20, which is slated for construction in 2032.
