WARREN Road project gets new interest

The connector road was originally proposed in the 1960s.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
and DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- It has been many years since a connection road behind the Eastwood Mall was originally proposed, and it will be several more years before any final decision on the project is made, officials say.
The North Road connector, also known as the U.S. Route 422 corridor project, was originally proposed by Warren city officials in the 1960s, said Kathleen Rodi, project manager of the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments in Austintown.
"It was all part of the original thoroughfare plan for that area," she said.
Plan delayed
For several reasons the project was delayed for years, but now environmentalists and government officials are looking at the land to see if a new road is feasible.
A major concern on both sides of the issue is wetlands, known as the Mosquito Creek Corridor, which are between North Road, state Routes 46 and 82 and U.S. Route 422.
The city of Warren owns the majority of the property, and Candlelight Apartments and Goldco Inc. own other portions.
Jack Mullen of North Road, Niles, president of the North Road Preservation Alliance Inc., and John Ritzenthaler, director of habitat conservation for Audubon Ohio, have toured the site recently to begin documenting flora and fauna that would be affected by the road's development.
Steps for approval
Rodi said that because the project would ultimately use state and federal funding, several aspects need to be examined before the city could get approval.
Based on the studies, the decision could be made to forgo the project, she said. Or, the scope and details of the project could be extremely limited.
"There are a lot of people opposed to this project, and they have some very good, very valid concerns," Rodi said. "We need to detail that whole area, see what is there, before we can approve anything.
"Mayors, trustees and commissioners will come and go through the years, but this is a project that will have a lasting impact," she continued. "These studies will be like a footprint, determining what can be done and what can't be done. Once a decision is made one way or another, it will be very detailed. Things cannot be circumvented, and they can't be changed."
Larger project link
Last week, Warren City Council rejected using $100,000 from a Community Development Block Grant for a 1,000-foot road to a proposed development off North Road. If the larger North Road connector project is approved, the 1,000 feet would likely tie into that project.
David J. Robison, director of the Warren engineering, planning and building department, said the larger project is probably several years from reality. It must go through several steps such as environmental review and public hearings, any of which could kill the project.
"It's a 16-step review process through ODOT [Ohio Department of Transportation]," Robison said.
The project is estimated to cost $6 million and would come from a combination of state and federal and city money.
Gary Newbrough, director of the Trumbull County Planning Commission, said interest in the project was renewed as development throughout Niles, Howland and Warren drastically increased traffic flow in the area.
Funding proposal
A funding proposal to renew the project was submitted in 1997 by the planning commission's then-director Ed Kutevac, based on the idea that future development would worsen the situation.
"Even since then, our traffic counts have skyrocketed," Newbrough said. "There is a need for it now more than there ever was."
The road would be used primarily for secondary traffic, providing alternative routes to and from the mall area, he said. Part of the plan is to construct a service road from the connector road into the north end of the mall, near Cafaro Stadium. Newbrough said even if the connector project is denied, officials may still look at constructing the service road to help with traffic problems.
"This is not proposed so development can continue unchecked in that area," he said. "We want controlled growth."
Limited development
Newbrough added that because more than half of the land in question is either in wetlands or a flood plain, future development would be limited by those natural restrictions.
"Mostly, we want to be just be able to give people options for travel and minimize traffic in that area," he said.
Newbrough and Rodi noted, though, that environmental and feasibility studies will take years to complete, and the project is on Eastgate's list for possible funding in 2005.
"Just getting on that list for consideration is a big step, though," Newbrough said.