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Closed Hubbard exit ramp affects busineses
HUBBARD
The exit ramp from Interstate 80 west to U.S. Route 62 in Hubbard is expected to reopen Friday evening, but the nearly two-week closure has caused headaches for surrounding businesses, which Tuesday reported increased congestion, delivery problems and a decline in patronage.
The closure was the result of a $130,000 project to repair the I-80 bridge over Route 62, which was struck by a large vehicle about a year ago, said Ohio Department of Transportation spokesman Brent Kovacs.
Forest City Erectors, a Cleveland-area contractor, went to work under ODOT supervision Feb. 3, and the exit ramp was shut down the following day because of safety concerns due to the project’s proximity to the exit, Kovacs said.
The Route 62 exit is the first for I-80 westbound in Ohio, and its closure has impacted nearby businesses that depend on trucks and travelers to bring in business from out of state.
Tim Schubert, general manager at the Truck World Inc. complex just north of the exit, estimated that business has been down by about 60 percent since last Tuesday.
“Anybody going westbound cannot stop in,” he said. “They would have to go down to the next exit, turn around and come back. And they’re not going to do that.”
Ohio’s relatively low price of gas compared with Pennsylvania usually makes Truck World the first stop for drivers crossing the state line, he said. But the closure has forced those would-be customers to stop off at later exits, instead.
“Somebody’s benefiting from this, and it’s not us,” Schubert said.
For John Keller, owner of Trans-Gear Inc., the repair project has been more of an “inconvenience” than anything. He said his truck-parts and service business, located just south of the overpass, has had to wait longer for supplies to be delivered from Pennsylvania.
“For Pennsylvania trucking companies, we used to be their first stop,” he said. “Now we’re not getting that until the end of the day.”
“There’s no warning in Pennsylvania that this exit is closed,” he said. “It’s just poorly marked.”
Rick Jugenheimer, president of Jugenheimer Industrial Supplies Inc. on the north side of I-80, said his company has fared better. Jugenheimer doesn’t rely on walk-in customers for a majority of the business, and he said he hasn’t heard any complaints from his customers or drivers.
He has, however, noticed southbound traffic backing up on Route 62, as the road narrows to just one lane at the bridge.
“People are still pretty friendly,” Jugenheimer said. “If you pull up there, they’ll let you out. So it’s not too bad.”
ODOT’s Kovacs said the westbound exit ramp is scheduled to reopen about 5 p.m. Friday, but the repair project will not be completed until the weather improves and Forrest City Erectors is able to return and finish painting the bridge.
“It’s hard to say” whether those final touches would trigger another closure, but that decision would be left to the contractor, he said.