Will Route 62 finally go through?



An environmental study of the route will take 18 months.
& lt;a href=mailto:bjackson@vindy.com & gt;By BOB JACKSON & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
SALEM -- Local officials say they are optimistic that the long-awaited extension of U.S. Route 62 might actually happen within the next few years.
The project, which calls for Route 62 to be extended from the west side of Alliance in Stark County to state Route 11 in Mahoning County, has been on the drawing board for more than 30 years, said Salem Mayor Larry DeJane.
U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland of Lisbon, D-6th, presented a ceremonial check Monday for $1 million to the Ohio Department of Transportation. The money will be used for an environmental study that must be done before the work begins.
DeJane and Columbiana County Commissioner Sean Logan said the project has languished on the back burner for years because of a lack of funding and a lack of a true need for its completion.
"Hopefully, Strickland can get it off the back burner and get it done," DeJane said.
Strickland said that when he took over in January as Columbiana County's congressional representative, the Route 62 extension was touted by local officials as one of the most important projects facing the area. That's why he fought for this funding, he said.
DeJane said the corridor from Alliance to Route 11, by way of Sebring and Salem, is poised for economic growth. The expanded highway would further open economic possibilities, he said.
State funding
The state recently increased its gasoline tax by 6 cents per gallon, which will be implemented in increments over the next three years. Logan said that will give ODOT the funding it needs for projects like the Route 62 extension.
That's why funding for the environmental study is important now, he said.
"When the state comes back to us and says there is money to do this project, we need to have the environmental study done and be ready to go," Logan said.
Jennifer Richmond of ODOT's District 4 office in Ravenna said the study will take about 18 months.
State Rep. John Boccieri of New Middletown, D-61st, said the goal is to build a link from the U.S. Route 62/state Route 173 interchange on the west side of Alliance to a Route 62 spur that extends from state Route 14, just northwest of Salem.
It will then extend from that point eastward to hook up with Route 11, near state Route 46 in Beaver Township.
Boccieri said the last environmental survey was done nearly 20 years ago, so its results are no longer valid.
Strickland urged leaders from all affected communities to unitein an effort to persuade ODOT to fund the completion of the project soon. The cost of building the new stretch of highway is estimated at $69 million.
& lt;a href=mailto:bjackson@vindy.com & gt;bjackson@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;

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