COLUMBIANA CO. Officials seek repairs to Route 30

One official said the road should be extended to connect with state Route 45.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- The Columbiana County commissioners have formally asked the state to fix state Route 30 west of the village.
The commissioners approved a letter Wednesday to the Ohio Department of Transportation in conjunction with Bert Dawson, the county engineer.
Dawson raised the idea of pushing for the change. The road makes several sharp turns on the Canton Hill before making a steep drop into the village.
The letter notes it "has been the scene of numerous accidents and fatalities."
The engineer's office has information on accidents and fatalities since 1987. It is also collecting the same information for earlier years.
Troy Graft, Dawson's chief engineer, said all the information will be sent to ODOT along with the letter.
What was considered
The state had once considered extending the road south of Lisbon to West Point.
Still other state plans called for relocating the route north of the village to several different connectors.
Dawson suggested that the county push for the extension of Route 30 to connect with state Route 45 north of Lisbon. That would cut down on some of the heavy truck traffic through the historic village square.
The commissioners noted that the total relocation of the route "is off in the distant future."
In the meantime, the county argued, the hazardous approach could be eliminated.
wilkinson@vindy.com