MAHONING COUNTY Boardman projects to begin

Work will begin on one project Monday.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- Township police are expecting traffic woes with two Mahoning County road projects being conducted simultaneously here.
Commuters who regularly travel Shields Road are in for a 90-day detour. Work began in April on an upgrade project along Western Reserve Road that will take 45 days to complete.
The county will begin a 90-day upgrade project Monday to Shields Road between Sheban and East Newport drives.
County Engineer Richard Marsico said the bridge along the road is being replaced, the intersection at Sheban and Shields is being widened and two additional lanes are being added in the western direction on Shields.
There will also be 8-foot-wide walk and bikeway added to both sides of the road, and traffic signal upgrades.
Reason for work
Marsico said the work is needed to curb congestion in the area. He said about 20,000 cars filter down the street every day.
"This is basically to help the traffic flow," he said. "It makes it better for the walkers and bikers, too, with the bike path."
The Shields Road project, Marsico said, will cost about $1 million. He said 80 percent of the project is being funded with federal money. There is a 20 percent local contribution.
The official detour during the construction period, Marsico said, will be Lockwood Boulevard, Boardman-Canfield Road and West Boulevard. An alternative detour will be Glenwood Avenue to state Route 62 to Arden Boulevard and onto Lockwood Boulevard.
Western Reserve Road is expected to be closed until sometime in late May. There, crews are working on widening and upgrading the intersection of Western Reserve and New Buffalo Road.
The county is improving two miles of Western Reserve between Tippecanoe and Hitchcock. Traffic lanes will be widened from 9 feet to 12 feet, with 3-foot-wide shoulders on each side of the road.
Shouldn't be a problem
Marsico said construction work on both roads at the same time should not cause too much of a problem for motorists. He said the projects are far enough apart not to affect one another.
Marsico said work on Shields Road had to be completed during the summer months because several school buses use the road and would have to find alternative routes.
Marsico acknowledges there will be some crossover from detoured traffic on both roads but said it will not affect the most congested parts of U.S. Route 224. He said the official detour for Western Reserve Road does not include 224.
Township police, however, are expecting serious congestion along 224 with both roads being closed.
Lt. Vincent DeLuco said Shields Road is already congested, and all that traffic will be sent to a congested 224 -- along with those who choose to use 224 as a detour from Western Reserve Road.
He said traffic will definitely be a problem at certain times of the day -- especially, he said, in May with the hot rod show and traditional cruising along 224.
Township police will be relying on traffic signals to regulate traffic flow. DeLuco said there isn't much else the department can do. He suggests motorists vary shopping times to avoid the afternoon rush hour.
jgoodwin@vindy.com