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State announces new road projects
and David Skolnick
YOUNGSTOWN
Mahoning County will have $68.8 million worth of road projects — $28.5 million for projects that are now active and $40.3 million for work starting this year.
In Trumbull County, the total is $45.6 million for projects with $23 million active and $22.6 million starting this year.
Overall, there is $443.6 mil- lion worth of transportation construction projects statewide, the Ohio Department of Transportation announced.
Among the major projects in Mahoning is the estimated $22.1 million rehabilitation of a bridge on U.S. Route 62 in Youngstown over state Route 289, the Mahoning River and railroad tracks.
The project includes replacing the deck, expansion joints and parapets as well as steel and concrete strengthening repairs. The ramps to Himrod Avenue also will be reconstructed. The project is expected to be done by June 2016.
The entrance and exit ramps at Himrod and South Avenue will be closed for 12 months.
Charles Shasho, Youngs-town public works deputy director, said it will be somewhat of a hardship to have the ramps closed, but it is necessary.
“It’s a pretty major project and there’s no other option,” he said. “There’s no way to replace a bridge unless you close it.”
In Canfield, the U.S. Route 224 bridge over state Route 11 will be replaced at an estimated cost of $7.9 million.
The project also includes widening Route 11 and Raccoon Road to install additional lanes and turn lanes. The project is expected to be done by October 2015.
The biggest issue with that construction, said Canfield Manager Joe Warino, is that Route 224 will be down to one lane in both directions.
He said that will be a hardship for safety services and for school buses.
“We’ll have to get a mutual-aid agreement with Boardman to cover Route 224,” he said.
He said buses could use Shields Road to go from the north side of the Ohio Turnpike to Raccoon Road so they can be on time.
In Campbell, a $1.4 million project includes resurfacing Robinson Road from Wilson Avenue to Struthers-Coitsville Road, resurfacing Warhurst Road from state Route 289 to Tenney Avenue, and resurfacing Tenney from Warhurst Road to Struthers-Liberty Road. The work is expected to be finished in October.
One lane of traffic will be maintained by flaggers throughout construction.
Campbell Mayor William VanSuch said the city also is getting $70,000 from Mahoning County to repave 14th Street from Robinson to Tenney.
“It won’t solve our entire problem,” said VanSuch, noting that potholes are “treacherous throughout the city” from the bad winter. But, he said, the projects will go a long way to help this year.
The project expected to be the most expensive in Trumbull County is the installation of a two-way left-turn lane and resurfacing of U.S. Route 422 (Parkman Road Northwest) in Warren between Southern Boulevard and Linda Drive. The estimated cost is $5.4 million with a June 2015 completion date.
Enzo Cantalamessa, Warren’s services director, said the state’s award is due to need.
The project “will have a positive economic benefit for existing businesses and for attracting new ones,” he said.
Another major project is the resurfacing of state Routes, 5, 7 and 87 in Greene, Gustavus, Hartford and Kinsman townships. The estimated cost is $4.5 million, and the project is expected to be finished by December.