Changes to Rte. 224 proposed in study

Monday, August 28, 2006 A committee meeting is set for this week. By DENISE DICK VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER BOARDMAN — Actual changes to improve traffic flow along the U.S. Route 224 corridor might be a long way down the road, but the proposals are here now. The latest report from the U.S. Route 224 corridor study breaks the busy thoroughfare into five sections with recommendations to improve traffic flow in each section. URS Consultants of Akron, the company hired to conduct the $1 million study, delivered two three-inch binders to all steering committee members last week, detailing a strategic plan. Committee members, including representatives from Canfield and Boardman trustees, the Ohio Department of Transportation and Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, will meet to discuss the recommendations this week, said Kathleen Rodi, Eastgate's director of transportation. ODOT and Eastgate split the cost of the study of the 6-mile stretch of U.S. 224 between state Route 11 in Canfield and Interstate 680 in Poland. Far from done Rodi stressed that the process to bring any of the suggested projects to reality is far from complete. "We're only at step four of a 14-step process," she said. Some of the suggested improvements could be accomplished more quickly than others. The five sections broken out in the strategic plan are: State Route 11 to the Ohio Turnpike overpass. The turnpike to Mill Creek Park. Mill Creek Park. Mill Creek Park to Tanglewood Drive. Tanglewood Drive to Interstate 680. Route 11 to pike Some suggestions for the section from state Route 11 to the turnpike, include: Extending the right-turn lane on the southbound Route 11 ramp. Providing a connection from Raccoon Road to the eastbound U.S. 224 to northbound Route 11 loop entrance ramp. Providing an exclusive right-turn lane on westbound U.S. 224 to the northbound Route 11 entrance ramp. Improvements at the Raccoon intersection would include an exclusive right-turn lane on westbound Route 224 to northbound Raccoon Road and consolidated business driveways near the intersection. Creating a back road south of Route 224 beginning opposite the Route 11 ramp on Raccoon and ending near the turnpike. Businesses on the south side of Route 224 should be connected to the back road. A back road north of Route 224 would parallel Route 224 behind commercial development between Raccoon and the turnpike. Suggestions from the Turnpike to Mill Creek Park include a Tippecanoe Road to Pheasant Drive connector. From Pheasant Drive to Mill Creek Park, parking lots between the separate developments would be connected by driveway across property lines. For Mill Creek Park, the recommended improvement is a separate, designated path for hikers and bicyclists along the north side of Route 224, connecting the two park roads without crossing of Route 224. Mill Creek to Tanglewood The section from Mill Creek Park to Tanglewood Drive: A back road from Parkside to Hitchcock, south of Route 224. A back road from West Boulevard to Glenwood Avenue including Rockdale Avenue north of Route 224. Selected driveway consolidations on both sides of Route 224. A back road south of Route 224 from Hitchcock to Westview Drive. Closing Sugartree Drive at Route 224. Removing the signal at Amherst Avenue/St. Charles driveway. Relocating the signal at Glenwood Avenue and the driveway to the Boardman Plaza to the Glenwood Avenue/Santa Fe Trail intersection. Restricting left turns on Glenwood Avenue between U.S. 224 and the parking area for the Boardman Plaza. Adding a northbound right-turn lane on Glenwood Avenue. Relocating the Southern Park Mall driveway with a signal to Sheldon Avenue. Eliminating the signal and left turns at California Avenue in conjunction with restoring a northbound left-turn lane on Southern Boulevard. Selected driveway consolidations on both sides of Route 224. Tanglewood Drive to I-680: Improvements in this section are affected by the recommendations for the I-680 interchange. There are two changes to the I-680 interchange affecting traffic east of the project area. One would allow westbound Route 224 drivers free flow access to the northbound I-680 entrance ramp without going through the northbound exit ramp signal. The other would affect the northbound I-680 entrance loop ramp on Route 224. The ramp would become a "T" intersection with a deceleration lane and enough curve at the intersection to allow slower, constant movement from Route 224 to the ramp. These changes allow more space for traffic exiting and entering I-680 to merge. Alternative 1 relocates the southbound exit and entrance ramps to the north and south ends of Tiffany Boulevard, respectively, while maintaining the southbound loop exit ramp to eastbound U.S. 224, the plan says. Other changes This alternative would necessitate changes at the Route 224- South Avenue intersection and along the length of Tiffany Boulevard including: Adding a second left-turn lane on westbound Route 224 at Tiffany Boulevard. Removing the median and adding a second left-turn lane on southbound Tiffany Boulevard. Adding a southbound right-turn lane on Tiffany Boulevard. Extending the northbound right-turn lane on Tiffany. Adding eastbound right-turn lane on Route 224 at Tiffany. Adding northbound, southbound and eastbound right-turn lanes at Route 224/South Avenue. The second alternative changes the southbound exit ramp by adding a signal at the ramp-westbound Route 224 intersection. The plan also recommends widening the ramp to two lanes. The second alternative also requires improvements at the Tiffany intersection: Extending the westbound right-turn lane on Route 224 to the outside lane of the exit ramp. Adding a second left-turn lane on southbound Tiffany Boulevard and extending the right-turn lane on northbound Tiffany. At South, a right-turn lane on northbound South Avenue and a second left-turn lane on eastbound Route 224 are needed. A third alternative would eliminate the southbound diamond exit and entrance ramps with all exiting traffic using the loop ramp. To handle traffic headed for westbound Route 224, the plan suggests adding a spur from the loop ramp to create a "T" intersection on Tiffany Boulevard. The new intersection would also include a relocated entrance ramp to southbound I-680. Another proposal The third alternative also would require more changes: Adding a second left-turn lane on westbound Route 224 at Tiffany and a second left-turn lane on northbound and southbound Tiffany. Extending northbound right-turn lane on Tiffany. Adding an eastbound right-turn lane on Route 224 at Tiffany and a southbound right-turn lane on Tiffany. Adding a right-turn lane on all approaches at Route 224-South Avenue. Adding a second left-turn lane on southbound South Avenue. Between Boardman Park and South Avenue, the plan suggests improvements to the back and cross-connections between the Shops at Boardman Park and Eisenhower Drive. Driveways along westbound Route 224 also should be combined and on eastbound Route 224 between Eisenhower and South Avenue as well as a traffic signal installed at Eisenhower and left turns restricted at intersections without traffic lights.