TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – While it was supposed to be a town hall about all issues in District 5, most people said they were there to hear from Council Member Sam Melden about one particular issue: Secor Road.
The City of Toledo is slated to do a reconstruction of Secor Road from Central Avenue to Kenwood Boulevard in 2026.
“I know everybody will talk about Secor like ‘man you live on that road? Man that’s terrible, that’s a horrible road,’” said resident John Pietras.
Neighbors describe the stretch as traffic-heavy, accident-prone, and narrow.
The plans to reconstruct Secor are focused on improving both safety and infrastructure.
Originally, the design included a roundabout, but after hearing community input, the project is set to include a median blocking left turns out of Westgate. The road will remain four lanes, but be widened to have 10-foot internal lanes and 12-foot external lanes, according to city leaders.
Council Member Melden said he believes this plan balances progress and design, while trying to reduce harm for neighborhood residents. Even with the lanes widening, city leaders said that medians have been known to help reduce speed.
“I think the opinions on this project have always been very very mixed,” Melden said. “There are some people who are very much for it and some people who are very much against it.”
Pietras said he felt like he was not among the vocal majority who had ideas to change the project. He is willing to give up part of his easement if the roads are widened, because he believes any reconstruction plan will be an improvement.
“My kid’s going to be raised in this neighborhood and I want him to have a safer neighborhood than I had,” Pietras said.
Other neighbors are looking for a different solution that does not encroach on their property.
“Instead of four lanes, have two lanes, one in either direction and a center turn lane,” said Rick Baum, who is a part of a coalition of neighbors against widening Secor. “That would reduce speeds and it wouldn’t be necessary to widen the road for that reason.”
City officials are welcoming input from community members, but say the median is the current plan they have for this construction timeline.
The timeline is related to federal funding the city received for the project. Leaders have to meet certain goals in order to get the federal support.
Neighbors who are concerned about the reconstruction are organizing a community meeting on Sunday, May 18 from 2 to 4 p.m. at 2667 Densmore Drive.
Melden will host another town hall on Tuesday, April 29 at 6 p.m. at the Washington Local Schools Administration Building, 3505 West Lincolnshire Blvd.
The council member also said city officials will work on spreading more information about the reconstruction.
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This article was published by WTVG on 2025-04-16 05:59:00
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