XENIA — Striping of Detroit Street from Church Street to Home Avenue is expected to begin Monday, May 14 causing some intermittent lane shifts and closures for a week.

The work is part of the downtown safety project, funded mostly by the Ohio Department of Transportation. A major part of the project began May 10 with the repaving of Detroit from Church to Home. It was expected to be completed Friday, May 11.

Some on-street parking spaces will be closed off during the restriping as well, according to city officials.

In addition, the southbound right turn lane from North Detroit onto West Church will remain closed until necessary wiring modifications are completed for a new traffic signal. Temporary adjustments to signal timing have been made to mitigate traffic congestion on Detroit while the turn lane is closed.

The downtown safety project is being completed because research has shown the incidence of pedestrian fatalities in traffic accidents has increased in recent years, according to a release from the city.

Downtown Xenia has a unique confluence of bike, pedestrian and automobile traffic, but current streets do not effectively balance the safety needs of these travel modes, the release said.

ODOT awarded Xenia a grant in 2013 to make the downtown are safer for all. The traffic modifications, which include new state of the art signalization, lane restriping, island reconstruction and dedicated bike lanes and pedestrian crossings, will add to the safety of motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists who frequent downtown and reduce accidents that may result in citations, the city said.

State and federal funds have covered 92 percent of the cost.

For more information about the project visit www.xeniasafetyproject.com.