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W. Reserve Road widening set to move into next phase
By Elise Franco
Canfield
The next phase of the Western Reserve Road widening project will open for bids March 7.
Marilyn Kenner, chief deputy engineer for the Mahoning County Engineer’s office, said that phase will widen Western Reserve from state Route 46 to state Route 62.
Kenner said it will cost $4,598,446 and will include several road closings.
“We have to replace a bridge and some culverts, so we’ll have full detours at some times during this work,” she said.
Kenner said the engineer’s office will award the contract in April, and construction is scheduled to begin in May.
But before work can get under way, construction crews have to finish widening a section of Western Reserve between Tippecanoe Road and state Route 46. That portion of the project began in July 2011, and Kenner said the work should be finished before the end of spring.
Construction crews got six more weeks of working time before they shut down for the winter thanks to mild weather in November and December.
“They worked pretty much right up until the week of Christmas when traditionally work is suspended in November,” Kenner said. “We’re expecting the contractor to start work sometime in mid-March, and that should be finished in spring.”
She said the first section, which was estimated to cost about $4 million, will be less and be finished several months ahead of schedule.
Eighty percent of the money is coming from federal highway funds, and the rest from local funds.
Once each phase is completed, the road, which is 10 feet wide on each side, will be 12 feet on each side and have 4-foot paved shoulders.
County Commissioner Carol Rimedio-Righetti said she and the other commissioners are pleased with the project’s progress.
“I think the engineer’s office is doing a fine job on moving this along,” she said. “Western Reserve Road has heavy traffic right now because of all the businesses there at this point. ... The street is really in need of widening because of that.”
Rimedio-Righetti said once the widening is finished, motorists and residents alike will be better off.
“Inconvenience is a terrible thing when you live around there,” she said. “Everyone is just waiting until the whole thing is done, and it’s always nice to see a fresh new road.”