YOUNGSTOWN Residents remark on route plans

By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Residents got an update and voiced concerns Thursday on the proposed connection of U.S. Route 62 at Albert Street in Youngstown with Interstate 80 in Hubbard Township.
Representatives from Ohio Department of Transportation and URS, a consultant on the project, presented three preliminary alternatives and environmental studies for the project.
Mohamed Darwish, deputy director of ODOT's District 4 office in Ravenna, said the exact route of the connector will be determined primarily from public comments, impact on neighborhoods and the environment, and cost.
Pros and cons: Eric W. Smith, URS vice president, laid out the pros and cons for all three possible routes, designated as Alternative Alignments 1, 2-2, and 2-4.
Smith said AA 1 avoids most residential areas in Mahoning County and is the most direct route to I-80, but it affects residential areas in Trumbull County, would require a lot of relocations, has the highest impact on wetlands and streams and is costly.
Alignment 2-2, Smith said, has a minimal impact on residential areas in Trumbull County, has little wetland and stream impact and is not as costly. The disadvantages to it are the number of residential areas affected in Mahoning County and potential relocations.
According to Smith, alignment 2-4 avoids residential areas in both counties and has lowest number of possible relocations. The down side is that it's the longest route of the three, has high wetland and stream impact and is the most expensive.
Estimates: Estimated costs are $61 million for alignment 1, $50 million for 2-2 and $62 million for 2-4.
Alignment 2-4 also caused the most complaints from residents at the informational meeting.
Rosalyn Thompson said that route would cut across two farms, one of 60 acres and the other 200 acres, on the East Side.
She said the old Atkinson farm sits on Atkinson Avenue and the other is on Lansdowne Boulevard.
Thompson said both farms are active and also support a lot of wildlife.
Landmarks impact: East Side resident James Bryant said the 2-2 route will have an effect on several long-standing symbols in the community, including a church at Miami and McGuffey Road, Price Memorial AME Zion Church on Dryden Avenue and Black & amp; Phillips Funeral Home on McGuffey Road.
Darwish said the earliest that construction could begin is 2006.
Residents were asked to submit concerns in writing to ODOT.