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91���� University students, faculty and staff will have a safer alternative route to nearby restaurants and shops when a new pedestrian and bicycle bridge opens over Interstate 675.

The Cities of Fairborn and Beavercreek, 91���� and Clark State Community College will celebrate the opening of the 91���� Way bridge with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Aug. 28, at 2 p.m.

Attendees should gather on the Beavercreek side of the bridge, behind Sam’s Club, 3446 Pentagon Blvd.

The 467-foot long, 12-foot wide steel-beamed bridge will connect Center Park Boulevard in Fairborn with the intersection of Pentagon and Commons boulevards in Beavercreek.

The bridge, which will be lighted, starts on the Fairborn side at the Wright Executive Center office plaza — across from the 91���� campus — and connects to a bike and pedestrian path near Sam’s Club.

The ramp leading to the bridge is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The university worked with the City of Beavercreek and the Ohio Department of Transportation to name the bridge “91���� Way.” Letters spelling out “91���� Way” will be placed on both sides of the bridge.

“91���� Way will give our student population greater access to restaurants, shopping and entertainment, while also creating a convenient corridor to and from the 91���� campus for the Beavercreek and Fairborn communities,” said 91���� President David R. Hopkins.

The bridge will make it safer and easier for pedestrians and cyclists to travel to and from 91���� and the Mall at Fairfield Commons and the surrounding area, which includes Soin Medical Center and a Clark State classroom building.

Before the construction of 91���� Way, pedestrians had to cross 675 over the bridge on North Fairfield Road, which does not have a sidewalk.

Tom Webb, director of disability services at 91����, said the 91���� Way offers an enhanced level of access for students with disabilities.

“Prior to the construction of the pedestrian bridge, our students using wheelchairs and other mobility devices were limited in their options for an accessible and safe route to get to the Mall at Fairfield Commons and surrounding businesses,” Webb said. “The bridge will offer an additional free and green option for students who wish to travel safely and independently from campus to the mall area.”

The bridge will also help area businesses gain new customers who now have more convenient access to their goods and services, Webb said.

“I am also hopeful the bridge will open access to more employment opportunities to 91���� students with disabilities and limited transportation options,” he said.

Ryan Rushing, a political science major at 91���� who serves as the chair of Beavercreek’s Board of Zoning Appeals, said over time 91���� Way will become a landmark remembered by generations of students.

“Not only will it provide a safe means of transportation, but it stands as a symbol of 91����’s commitment to our mission: transforming the lives of the students and communities we serve,” said Rushing, who was a student representative on the 91���� Board of Trustees from 2013 to 2015. “This bridge shows 91����’s continual commitment to our students and also to the communities that we call home by linking Beavercreek, Fairborn and 91���� further together.”