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Work on 224-Tippe-Lockwood intersection progressing
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Bridge replacement work on 224 near Lockwood.
By ASHLEY LUTHERN
BOARDMAN — Even with a line of cars stretching from the U.S. Route 224-Lockwood Boulevard intersection, past the Mill Creek Golf Course to Parkside Drive each afternoon, public safety officials and some businesses say traffic flow has not been too disrupted because of construction at the intersection.
Work began in May on the Ohio Department of Transportation’s project to widen Tippecanoe Road and Lockwood at Route 224 and to replace the bridge on 224 that is east of the intersection.
The $3.2 million project is on schedule over a month into construction and will be completed by July 2009, but the bridge replacement is estimated to be done ahead of schedule, with that part of the project finished in about 30 days, said Paula Putnam, ODOT District 4 spokeswoman.
The 224 west approach will be widened to six lanes, consisting of four through lanes and two left turn lanes. The Lockwood north approach will also be expanded to six lanes comprised of three through lanes (two northbound and one southbound), two left turn lanes and a right turn lane, she said.
A lane will be added to the part of Tippecanoe Road that is south of the intersection with 224, so that northbound traffic on the road will have a left turn lane, one right turn lane and one through lane, Putnam said.
Construction has caused some lanes of 224 and Lockwood to be closed this past month, but Boardman police and fire departments have reported little to no delays in response time.
“We’ve got a station on either side of the intersection and we’ve been planning our routes around the area,” said Joe Romeo, assistant fire chief. “There’s potential for a delay if we need to respond directly to one of the plazas in the area, but even then the delay isn’t excessive. We’re more concerned about the potential for an industrial accident at the site, but again, that wouldn’t affect response time.”
Police officers have not had any problems with response times, and traffic control in the area is “decent,” said Boardman police Capt. Jack Nichols.
Like the response times of public safety workers, some businesses located near the intersection have not been affected by the construction.
“I think that they’re doing a good job of keeping traffic moving and I haven’t seen any accidents,” said Dave Peoples, manager of Goldstein’s furniture store at the corner of 224 and Tippecanoe Road.
Peoples said that because most of his customers come in during the evening or on weekends when construction work is at a minimum, his store has not had a drop-off of customers because of the construction.
For other businesses, though, the road work is not only inconvenient, but also cutting into their sales.
“I would guess that we’re losing $1,000 a day in revenue,” said Debbie West, manager of the Shell gas station located on the corner of Lockwood and 224.
One entrance is usually blocked because of the construction, while the other is graveled and customers aren’t sure if they can drive their cars safely on it. This, coupled with the movement of construction equipment through the gas station, discourages customers from bringing their cars to the station, she said.
“This is the slowest that we’ve ever been in my five years here as a manager,” West said.
Across the street in the Creekside Plaza, the Living Naturally Health Market has also had a decrease in the number of customers.
“Business is slowing down, especially because many of our customers are older and don’t like to drive through construction,” said Donna Lines, a manager. “One lady had a special order and she called and said for us to put it on the shelf because she didn’t want to deal with the traffic on 224 to come pick it up.”
The traffic at the intersection has caused many drivers to try to go around it by cutting through the parking lots of Pelican, Huntington Woods and Creekside plazas, leading to bumper-to-bumper traffic in the lots by evening rush hour, Lines said.
While the parking lot traffic has hurt businesses close to the intersection, those located in the plazas before the construction have seen a slight increase in customers.
“I haven’t noticed a decrease in business. In fact, now that everybody cuts through the plaza, we have a little more business in the afternoon and evenings than usual,” said Nancy Esh, manager at Movie Gallery in the Huntington Woods Plaza.
The traffic worsens and gets more congested once drivers cross the intersection, she said.