Study: Mahoning Ave. has worst crash record

A group is seeking state funding to solve some of the problems.
By JEANNE STARMACK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- Mahoning Avenue's record for car accidents from Turner Road in the township to Glenwood Avenue in Youngstown is the worst of any local road in Mahoning County, according to one study.
The organization that did the study is trying to get state funds to fix some of the problems.
The Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, which includes Trumbull and Mahoning counties, began the study in May for the state and finished it a month ago, said Bill Barlow, program manager for the council.
Barlow detailed the study for businesspeople gathered for a Regional Chamber of Commerce breakfast in Austintown Friday.
Using three years' worth of data, Barlow said, the study compared 200 road corridors in the two counties.
"Mahoning Avenue in Youngstown had the highest crash rating in Mahoning County," he said. "Austintown was third."
A separate study by engineers Thomas Fok and Associates that the county paid for focused on the intersections of Mahoning and Four Mile Run Road and New and Raccoon Roads.
Problems at those intersections include worn out traffic-light hardware and limited capacity, he said.
Aiming to improve
Barlow said he will follow up with the state to get funding for more engineering work and for safety improvements not only identified in the council's study, but in the Fok study as well. He said he wants $70,000 for detailed designs and said improvements at the intersections are estimated to cost $300,000.
Barlow said a lot of the crashes on Mahoning Avenue are not happening because the road was badly engineered. "It's driving drunk, speeding, animal accidents," he said.
He said data shows that 20 out of 38 crashes at the intersection of Four Mile Run and Mahoning were alcohol-related. At the intersection with Westchester, it was 15 of 38 crashes.
Barlow said another problem with Mahoning Avenue is the lack of clear signs to tell people where major intersections are and where turning lanes are. He showed a prototype of middle-of-the-road signs that would make navigating the road easier for drivers.
He said the road also needs better coordination of traffic signals. "We get a big problem with red-light running. Lights are out of synchronization," he said.
He estimated that about $1.5 million would be needed for improvements. He said he is looking for state rather than local funding because money is tight for local governments.