Editor
Batavia’s East Main Main Street was opened to traffic Friday, June 6 after being closed for months.
The street was closed over the winter as work progressed on an approximately $5 million improvement project.
The street was reopened without much ceremony or fanfare. After the contractor finished painting the parking spots, Mayor John Thebout and street superintendent Wayne Smith posed for a picture at one of the barriers to mark the occasion, and the street was opened to traffic.
“This has been a super project, we’ve had a lot of compliments about how the project looks,” Mayor John Thebout said. “This is the county seat, and in my opinion, we’ve got one of the best looking county seats in Ohio. This has been a long time in coming.”
The project included a redesign of East Main Street, and the rebuilding of South Second and North Fourth Streets.
The redesigned East Main Street has wider sidewalks, a center turn lane, and stamped asphalt crosswalks.
The utility poles and overhead wires have been removed and new decorative streetlights have been installed.
The street features new landscaping, with planted center islands and trees along both sides of the street.
South Second and North Fourth streets were rebuilt and have new sidewalks.
“This project can do nothing but help property values in the village,” Thebout said. “And we’re hoping that this project will help attract some businesses to the village. This was one of our goals.”
A dedication ceremony is being planned for July. The date and time for the ceremony will be announced later this month.