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Grant to make driving in Canfield safer
By Elise Franco
CANFIELD
A $714,000 grant from the Ohio Public Works Commission will meet safety needs of drivers coming into and going out of the city.
Joe Warino, Canfield city manager, said the first phase of the three-phase North Broad Street Safety Upgrade Project will include:
The widening of North Broad from Canfield Village Green to Skyline Drive.
The lowering of some land at Callahan Road and state Route 46 to alleviate a blind spot.
Adding a turning lane in both directions on 46 for motorists turning onto Brookpark Drive.
“Brookpark is a direct route to the high school, and it’s been a high-volume area for minor accidents in the city,” Warino said. “These improvements will help alleviate problems in those areas as a result of poor sight distance.”
Canfield Mayor William Kay said poor line of sight in this section of the city has been an ongoing problem.
“I do know that what we’re trying to do is correct a situation where we’ve had a number of accidents,” he said. “You’ll have a better view coming into the village green, which will make the situation a lot safer.”
Warino said the project also will include replacement and extension of sidewalks and lighting down Skyline.
The money will be released to the city July 1, 2011, and Warino said construction is scheduled for completion by spring 2012.
“The majority of it will be the road work and added curbing to the area, which will improve drainage,” he said.
The second and third phases will be the same type of work from Skyline Drive to Sleepy Hollow Drive, then from Sleepy Hollow to the Ohio Turnpike near Herbert Road.
Those phases are also expected to be paid for through the District 6, Ohio Public Works Commission, and are estimated to cost between $700,000 and $800,000 each, Warino said.
“We tried to separate each into equal phases for cost purposes,” he said.
Kay said Canfield city has received numerous grants through OPWC, which makes these types of projects possible.
“There are grants out there. You just have to go out there and fight for them. This is truly tax dollars at work,” he said. “Any time you can improve safety for your citizens, you have to look into it.”