MAHONING VALLEY Officials propose to widen I-80 to head off problems
Officials also considered other plans that would prevent traffic woes.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- State and local officials have proposed widening Interstate 80 between Austintown and Hubbard to prevent future traffic problems.
The proposal calls for the addition of one lane in each direction between state Route 46 and U.S. Route 62. The interstate is two and four lanes wide in that area.
W. Cary Weatherhead, a consultant for the Ohio Department of Transportation, noted that it would be at least eight years before any work could start.
The two-phase project could cost $92 million, according to estimates from the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments. The federal government is expected to pay about 90 percent, with the rest coming from state and local funds.
Talking about it
Local residents will be able to discuss the proposal with state officials from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Eastgate offices on Mahoning Avenue in Austintown.
A $2.5 million study by state consultants shows that between 50,000 and 60,000 vehicles use I-80 between Interstate 76 and state Route 11 each day.
That figure is expected to increase by 10,000 vehicles by 2025.
About 28 percent of those vehicles will be trucks, Weatherhead said.
The study, which should be complete in February, covers I-80 and I-76 in Mahoning, Trumbull, Portage, Summit and Medina counties. It is designed to examine current and future road and traffic problems.
The study describes I-80, between state Routes 46 and 193 (Belmont Avenue in Liberty), as a "moderate to high problem area." Weatherhead has said drivers have problems negotiating the on- and off-ramps along that stretch of road.
Eastgate Projects Engineer Kathleen Rodi added that drivers heading west on I-80 have to cross several lanes of traffic just past the state Route 11 interchange if they want to exit on to state Route 46.
"It's like, hold onto the wheel and jump over," said Eastgate Executive Director John Getchey.
Other options considered
State and local officials recently met to discuss how to prevent future traffic problems along the road. They considered several proposals, including providing direct access to the interstate from truck stops, building a new road and encouraging the use of trains instead of trucks to ship freight.
The officials decided the best way to address problems while keeping construction costs low is to widen the interstate.
"I don't know anything else they can do," said Austintown Township Administrator Michael Dockry, who attended the meetings.
The state is expected to start working on plans after the study is complete.
ODOT also is preparing for two other major projects along I-80 in the Mahoning Valley.
The I-80 interchange with state Route 46 is set to be rebuilt by 2005, while the I-80 bridges over Meander Reservoir are to be replaced by 2008.
hill@vindy.com