Route 224 bridge is reopening

The bridge has been closed for six months.
& lt;a href=mailto:jgoodwin@vindy.com & gt;By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR & lt;/a & gt;.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
POLAND -- Travel and business along the busy U.S. Route 224 in the village will be back to usual with the reopening of the newly built 224 bridge over Yellow Creek.
Officials were to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony today to mark the reopening of the bridge. The bridge, which connects the village to the township, had been closed to traffic since early May.
The bridge is complete, including the upgraded, more aesthetically pleasing railings requested by village officials. More than $160,000 was raised to buy the railings.
Officials say the bridge opening should end six months of congested traffic and complaints from residents. Business owners are also looking forward to the natural flow of traffic along 224.
Detour
Because of the 247-foot-long bridge's closing, the Ohio Department of Transportation posted a detour along state roads. The posted detour became more of a nightmare for commuters, taking drivers on an 18-mile journey through Struthers, Campbell and western Pennsylvania before rejoining 224.
Many drivers familiar with the area soon learned a much shorter alternate route, but that became congested, creating a nightmare for village police. Police Chief Russell Beatty said the department received numerous calls over the last six months from residents complaining about the congested traffic on village side streets.
"We thought people would be a little more understanding," he said. "What are you going to do -- you eliminate a U.S. route in a busy area and you are bound to have some problems."
The problems came not only from overwhelming car traffic, but from commercial vehicles and tractor trailer trucks. Many large vehicles would use side-street shortcuts to avoid the longer ODOT-approved route.
Citations
During the time of the bridge's construction, village police issued about 160 citations for trucks illegally traveling on village roads.
Beatty said the bridge's opening and permanent traffic control measures taken by the police department should alleviate the traffic and truck problems.
On Saturday, a green traffic-signal arrow will be installed at 224 and state Route 616. The time of the green light on Route 170 at 224 has been lengthened, and a "no right turn on red" sign on Route 224 has been removed.
Business owners have said the bridge's closing was costly, and they are glad to see the project finished. Some had resorted to telling customers alternate routes around the construction to maintain as much regular business as possible.
Carol Johngrass, manager of Bruster's Ice Cream, which sits at the mouth of the bridge, said business will likely improve.
"I really do believe business will pick up again, just with the people that will be passing by and decide to stop. That is business that we weren't getting before," she said.
Johngrass said the upswing in business may have started already. Two cakes were bought from Bruster's for the bridge ribbon-cutting celebration.
& lt;a href=mailto:jgoodwin@vindy.com & gt;jgoodwin@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;