Work planned to fix problem intersection

The mix of asphalt, concrete and lanes that don't line up can be confusing to drivers.
CANFIELD -- Projects aimed at easing traffic flow and improving water and sewer lines are on the city's 2005 capital improvements agenda.
Charles Tieche, city manager, said the city has budgeted $80,000 to make the intersection of U.S. Route 224 and Cardinal Drive less confusing to motorists.
"It's two lanes traveling eastbound on 224 and three lanes traveling westbound on 224," he said.
The lanes are striped but because one side of the intersection is concrete and the rest asphalt, it can be deceiving. To go straight, a driver heading east on Route 224 needs to jog to the right.
"We're looking at widening to get a right-turn lane and lining up the lanes to go straight ahead as you head east," he said.
Asphalt would be applied to cover the whole intersection as well, eliminating the concrete portion.
The project would be done as part of the city's annual paving work.
Water, sewer work
Other projects budgeted for this year are a waterline improvement on Deer Trail Avenue and storm sewer rerouting on Fairground Boulevard.
"It seems that waterline on Deer Trail has more breaks in it than anywhere else in the city," the manager said. "We joke that there's more clamps on it than there is waterline."
The waterline project, estimated at $76,000, would replace the line, but that amount would likely go up if the city finds the waterline runs beneath the storm sewer line. In that case, the storm sewer line also would be replaced.
"A lot depends on what they find underground," he said. "These were put in the late-'50s/early '60s, so you can't tell a lot from the drawings."
The storm sewer line on Fairground would be rerouted to lead directly into Mill Creek rather than snaking through much of the surrounding neighborhood before ending in the creek.
That project is estimated at $20,000, Tieche said.