Intersection still causes concern

By ASHLEY LUTHERN

Short-term safety solutions have not had an effect at the intersection, said a county traffic engineer.

BOARDMAN — A car horn sounded as the traffic light changed and another car zoomed through a red light at the intersection of Mathews and Sheridan roads.

“People just don’t want to slow down,” said Willard Peet, a resident who observed the scene at his home, one block away from the intersection.

In 2006, that intersection was described as accident prone in a study of the half-mile section of Mathews Road from South Avenue to Sheridan Road funded by Eastgate Regional Council of Governments.

Several short-term solutions were recommended by the Ohio Department of Transportation — installation of new traffic signals, re-timing of the traffic signals, and trimming the overhanging tree limbs that could obstruct the signals, said Ed Davis, Eastgate’s transportation systems program manager.

Within a year after the study was finished, the Mahoning County Engineer’s office completed the short-term solutions, but now have said they have not had a positive effect.

“We’ve looked at the back-ups and congestion that are at the intersection, and it doesn’t look like the short-term solutions have reduced it,” said Rob Donham, county traffic engineer.

Data on the accident rate are recorded in a three-year period, and the numbers of accidents have not been collected and organized for 2006 to 2008, Donham said.

The corridor of Mathews Road from South Avenue to Sheridan Road had 128 accidents from 2003 to 2005, most occurring at South Avenue, said Kathleen Rodi, Eastgate director of transportation. The rate of crashes per million miles, however, was higher at the Sheridan intersection.

“I do hear of a lot of accidents happening there,” said Anita Jacobson of Poland. She attends the Heritage Presbyterian Church located on a corner of the intersection.

Paving Sheridan Road, which is maintained by Boardman Township, has made more of a difference to her than the other solutions, she said.

The Boardman road department gets calls about potholes in the township, but nothing about that traffic signal and nothing concerning that particular intersection, said Larry Wilson, township road superintendent.

Other public officials and police said that the crossing of Mathews and Sheridan roads has not brought in complaints from residents.

“I haven’t had any recent complaints about that intersection,” said Trustee Robyn Gallito.

The police have not had any residents report concerns about the intersection’s safety, said Sgt. Ed McDonnell of Boardman police.

But Peet, who lives on the corner of Sheridan Road and Lynn Mar Avenue, said that he doesn’t make left turns at the intersection that is so close to his home for fear of getting into an accident.

“There aren’t any [left turn] arrows over there, and I think we need them,” he said.

Widening the road to make a left turn lane is not in the plans, however, said county Engineer Richard Marisco.

“The study came out and found that a left turn lane would be much more expensive than a roundabout, which is listed as the long-term solution at this intersection,” Marisco said.

A roundabout is a circular traffic pattern that guides cars along a curved path until they exit to another street. It prevents accidents and reduces congestion without traffic lights, Marisco said.

“Roundabouts have worked very well in other communities in Ohio,” he said. “But it would be an educational process to get local people to use one.”

Peet isn’t convinced that a roundabout is the solution, however.

“I don’t think that it would work very well, and more people might go over the curb,” he said.

There isn’t a definitive time table for construction of a roundabout, except that it is still years away, Marisco said.

“We have to plan these projects years ahead of time, but our budget is shrinking and the cost of fuel and construction materials keep rising, making it hard to estimate a cost or time of completion,” he said.

According to Eastgate’s study, installation of a roundabout is estimated to cost about $650,000.