Portion of Route 224 to close for a day

Sunday, August 20, 2006 The storm sewer pipe must be installed 10 feet below the surface. By DENISE DICK VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER POLAND — A project that has kept a portion of U.S. Route 224 closed since last month is about to get a new wrinkle — at least temporarily. Ohio Department of Transportation District 4 is closing the section of U.S. Route 224 between Luteran Lane and James Street on Monday for installation of a storm sewer drainage pipe. Flaggers will divert traffic during the one-day closure. ODOT says the pipe must be installed 10 feet below ground, and that it would be unsafe to try to perform the work without diverting traffic. That one-day reroute is on top of the closures of both Route 224 and Struthers Road, which have been in effect where the two roads intersect since earlier this month. The closures, which initially caused problems for motorists, are expected to continue to late September. The closure is part of a project to resurface Route 224 from Riverside Drive to the Pennsylvania line. Maureen Bachman, an ODOT District 4 spokeswoman, said the agency is aware of the inconvenience caused by the closure and has offered a financial incentive to the contractor if the project can be completed in 35 days. If that's done, the project would be complete early next month. One lane of traffic will be maintained in each direction throughout the project except at the Struthers Road intersection. What happened James Scharville, township administrator, said truck drivers headed into the township west on Route 224 didn't see the detour signs and ended up driving along township and Mahoning County roads rather than the state routes that were part of the detour route. ODOT's posted detour for Route 224 is state Route 551 to U.S. Route 422 to state Route 616. For Struthers Road, ODOT recommends Dobbins Road to Clingan Road. The official detour must use state, interstate or U.S. routes, ODOT said, but people may find their own routes. "It was confusing at the beginning," Scharville said. "We thought they were confusing." Many motorists traveling through the township called the township government center, complaining about the construction, officials said. Township crews photographed the signs to show ODOT District 4 officials. ODOT then posted different signs, which Scharville said have improved the problem. "Traffic has slowed down a lot out there since they put up new signs," the administrator said. Besides the resurfacing, the project includes reconstruction of the Struthers and Clingan Road intersections. Reconstruction involves adding left turn lanes at Clingan at all four intersection approaches and upgrading the traffic signal. At Struthers Road, sight distance will be improved by cutting down the hill, and overhead flashers will be installed. Shelly & Sands Inc. of Girard is the contractor for the nearly $3 million project. Lane restrictions occur on Route 224 from Old Stone Crossing to Shawbutte Street and on Clingan Road north of Route 224 until October 2006.