ODOT Ungaro seeks answers on plans

The Hubbard Expressway project was set to be scrapped Monday.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
Liberty Township Administrator Pat Ungaro hoped to talk with state officials this morning about concerns over the future of three local transportation projects.
Ungaro wanted to discuss plans for the Hubbard Expressway, the Interstate 80 bridges over the Meander Reservoir, and state Route 46 in Austintown with Lt. Gov. Jennette Bradley and Mohamed Darwish, deputy director for Ohio Department of Transportation District 4.
Bradley and Darwish were expected to attend a press conference at 10 a.m. today at the Akron-Canton Regional Airport to talk about Gov. Bob Taft's program to improve transportation throughout the state.
Ungaro, a former Youngstown mayor, said he'd approach the two at the press conference in his capacity as a member of the state Transportation Review Advisory Council, which funds about $300 million in major transportation projects in Ohio each year.
ODOT recently announced it would relinquish sponsorship of the $75 million Hubbard Expressway, which would link Interstate 680 with Interstate 80 in Hubbard Township. The project was slated to be shut down if no other community or groups of communities agreed to sponsor the project by Monday evening.
Topic for discussion
Ungaro said that he wasn't sure why ODOT decided not to sponsor the project and that he wanted to have a positive discussion about the expressway with Darwish and Bradley.
"I don't agree with the decision to suddenly do this," he said.
He added that he wanted to see if TRAC could help move the project forward or if it could be sponsored by the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments.
ODOT has said it was relinquishing its role because the cost of the 4-mile highway increased to $75 million, and the state's focus is safety and eliminating congestion rather than aiding development.
ODOT also announced earlier this year that it doesn't expect to turn state Route 46 in Austintown into a boulevard with a raised median despite the request of a group of local residents and officials. The state is planning to widen state Route 46 into as many as five lanes.
The group, which included members of the Austintown Growth Foundation, had suggested that ODOT install the median on the road, as well as building sidewalks and installing streetlights and underground utilities.
Growth foundation views
Ungaro attended a growth foundation meeting Monday night to hear what the group had to say about the project. Township Trustee Richard Edwards, who was at the growth foundation meeting, called the proposal to add the median "non-negotiable."
"[Without a median], it's just not a solution for our community," he said. "[Darwish is] telling us how our community should develop."
Both Edwards and James D'Eramo, growth foundation member, also expressed frustration that Darwish has not made himself available to meet with them to discuss the project.
Ungaro asked if everyone at the meeting agreed that the median was needed. Lisa Oles, who is running against Edwards for trustee in November, responded that she thinks the group shouldn't stop ODOT from spending money to improve the road.
Chuck Klingensmith, owner of the Photo Place on state Route 46, added that he was worried about how the median would affect his business. He said he was worried how his customers would react to having to do a U-turn to avoid a median and reach his business.
"It's a real good plan if you want to stifle the community's growth," Klingensmith said.
Meander bridges
Ungaro said he also wants to talk to the two state officials about ODOT's decision to build two new bridges to carry Interstate 80 across the Meander Reservoir. Local and state officials had asked ODOT to build a causeway across the reservoir to provide access for emergency vehicles.
That proposal was scrapped after ODOT learned it would cost $22 million more than expected.
hill@vindy.com