Studies find 9 intersections near gridlock

A public meeting will be Aug. 16 at Center Middle School.
By AMBER HYLAND
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- Sometimes the traffic on the U.S. Route 224 corridor can be unbearable.
Researchers from the Ohio Department of Transportation and URS Corp. now have studies to prove this.
The following nine intersections along Route 224 currently operate at the D level or lower on a scale of A to F, with F meaning total gridlock: Fairground Boulevard, Raccoon Road, Tippecanoe Road, Glenwood Avenue, Market Street, Southern Boulevard, Eisenhower Drive, South Avenue and Tiffany Boulevard.
These data were presented by ODOT and URS representatives Tuesday at a 224 Corridor Study meeting.
Representatives met with local government officials from Boardman and Canfield to review data collection of traffic, level of service and crash data.
The study extends from state Route 11 in Canfield Township to Interstate 680 in Boardman.
Researchers have completed Steps 1 and 2 of the 14-part study to do something about congestion in the corridor. They are moving into Steps 3 and 4.
It is anticipated Steps 1 through 5 will be completed by January 2006. Steps 6 through 14 will then look at feasible alternatives, choose projects, develop plans and construct projects.
It is unknown exactly how long these final steps will take.
Traffic and Intersections
Judy Bennett, a representative of URS, said there can be 3,000 cars in a peak hour in some places along the corridor.
ODOT looked at what traffic would be like along the corridor in 2030 based on traffic patterns and development trends. The estimates show traffic will become worse.
Bennett said this was not surprising.
The study also looked into the level of service, delay on roads and intersections. These are ranked from A to F. The highest ranking, A, means there is no delay. Bennett said F means there is total gridlock.
Although D is generally seen as unsatisfactory, Bennett said more urban areas are considering D acceptable.
Crash data
Researchers looked at 2002-2004 crash data on Route 224 for this study.
The study said there were 1,365 nonintersection crashes and 565 intersection/driveway crashes.
Of the crashes, 60 percent were the rear-end type while 30 percent of crashes involved injuries.
Bennett said only two out of about 1,900 crashes were fatal.
She added both of these were near state Route 7. One was just west of the route, and the other was just east of the route.
The area around parks has fewer conflicts, such as driveways and turns, so there are fewer accidents, Bennett said.
Accidents tended to peak around the major intersections at Raccoon and Tippecanoe roads.
All of this information will be evaluated to come up with possible alternatives to cut down on traffic congestion and accidents.
A public meeting will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 16 at Center Middle School.
People can access more information about the study and comment on the progress at www.mah224.com. More information will be added to the Web site when drafts become legal documents.