Rte. 711 dream nears reality

The new highway will open to the public in less than two weeks.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
The idea to connect Interstate 680 to the Interstate 80-Route 11 interchange in Girard may have been born nearly 40 years ago, but motorists will finally begin to take advantage of that idea this month.
The new state Route 711 connector will officially open to the public Oct. 24. Local and state officials, along with representatives from the Ohio Department of Transportation, will be on hand for a 1:30 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Jennifer Richmond, spokeswoman for ODOT's District 4, said the 711 Connector links the city of Youngstown to the city of Girard on one highway. The end result, she said, is that commuters will no longer have to use local roads to access I-80 and Route 11 from I-680, creating a more steady flow of traffic and saving drivers time.
The 711 Connector will allow traffic to connect almost directly to downtown Youngstown, unlike the current flow routes, where drivers now use Meridian Road as well as U.S. Route 422 and state Route 193 to access the downtown area.
Idea's inception
Local officials first suggested the idea in 1968, Richmond said. Originally, Route 711, a four-lane divided highway, ended at Route 422 and Burlington Street when it was completed in the late 1960s.
Funding did not become available for the current project until 1999, Richmond said, and construction on the highway began in 2002. The total project cost about $60 million.
Patrick Ungaro, Liberty Township administrator, said the opening of the 711 connector will be a tremendous boost to the township.
"I am really happy about this. I think it is a great project," he said," he said. 'This, without doing much else, is going to revitalize the lower southern end of Belmont."
Ungaro said that with an entrance and exit to the connector from Gypsy Lane, the section of Belmont closest to Youngstown will see more traffic, and ultimately businesses in that area will benefit from the increased traffic. He said projects to repair older buildings in that area will likely begin to take shape as more people use the new connector.
Benefits expected
Girard Mayor James Melfi said the connector will pave the way for regionalization and development in the Girard area and beyond. He said a major impact of the connector could be the advent of Joint Economic Development Districts involving the city and Liberty.
Melfi said he has heard some people mention that truck traffic -- and other motorists -- would be taken out of the city with the opening of the connector. He said city officials will wait and see how the connector affects traffic patterns here.
Trucks staying on the highway, and off city streets, will ultimately mean safer driving conditions in the city, Melfi said.
He added that businesses should not be adversely affected by those drivers who stay on the highway instead of taking the local roads.
"I have not heard any business people say they are concerned about the highway opening," he said. "If you come to Girard to do business, the 711 Connector will not stop you from doing that."