New U.S. 224 greets shoppers

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By DENISE DICK

denise_dick@vindy.com

It’s time to hang the stockings, bake the pies, wrap the gifts and wait in U.S. Route 224 Christmas shopping traffic. Some of that waiting could be alleviated this holiday season, though, if an Ohio Department of Transportation project achieves its aim.

Justin Chesnic, a spokesman for ODOT District 4, said the project to widen Route 224 between Boardman Park Drive and just west of South Avenue is finished for the year.

“We’ll have to go back, probably in the spring, to put down the last layer of asphalt,” he said.

The $5.2 million project widened Route 224 with the addition of right-turn lanes through that section. Shelly and Sands of Zanesville is the contractor.

Because temperatures must be at least 65 degrees for optimum asphalt setting, that likely will occur in April or May, the spokesman said.

“The actual completion date was the fall of next year,” Chesnic said. “But we wanted to be out of there by Christmas. In essence, we still are.”

Although the surface isn’t officially complete, it’s very drivable, he said.

The project was aimed to increase traffic flow and to relieve congestion.

Whether or not it’s achieved that goal, however, is up for debate.

“I’ve had no problems,” said township resident Lori Langley. “I do see an improvement with the dual turn lanes at South Avenue.”

Traffic flows better, she said.

Robbie Kale, another township resident, agrees.

“I think the wider lanes and way they have hooked the lights together to work in series has helped,” he said. “Also, the double turn lane at [Route] 224 and South Avenue has and will help with the bottleneck that always seemed to occur there.”

No matter how many improvements the state makes there though, Kale added, “Nothing will take the place of drivers’ being patient and considerate toward one another.”

Dan Slagle Jr., superintendent of Boardman Park, offers another view.

“I haven’t noticed any change in the traffic flow,” he said.

It remains to be seen whether the work will meet its aim, Slagle added.

People will have to get acclimated to it.

When the project was initially proposed several years ago, Slagle approached ODOT about extending the right turn lane along the park entrance from Route 224. The agency told him it was too late to include it.

Slagle believed the lane would cut down on accidents.

When motorists are headed east on Route 224 and come over the hill, they sometimes begin to veer right onto the berm to enter the Shops at Boardman Park.

“People fly over top of that hill,” the superintendent said.

If a car is waiting to exit the park onto Route 224, collisions sometimes occur.

“Extending the right turn lane would have alleviated that,” Slagle said.

Donna Capretta, manager of Astre Total Fitness and Rehab, said she’s seen some people drive through the intersections in the new turn lanes, not realizing they are restricted for turns.

After the entrance to the health club, the road shifts back to two lanes, headed west up the hill.

Where the road continues after the turn lanes end, hash marks cross the pavement. In the winter time, though, motorists won’t be able to see those marks if the road is snow-covered, Capretta points out.

“I think in the winter time, you’re going to see some accidents,” she said.

Capretta believes signs are needed to direct travelers.

In addition to adding turn lanes, the project included replacing 15 traffic signals. The new signals include left- or right-turn arrows where applicable.

Though the lights weren’t tied into a system during part of the time the project was under way, they are now linked together.

During peak hours, lights along U.S. 224 should remain green for about two minutes. During off hours, such as late at night, the cycle shortens to about 70 seconds to 80 seconds of green time, Chesnic said.