224/11 construction project one lane restriction starts 6 a.m. today
By ROBERT CONNELLY
CANFIELD
There will be one lane of travel on U.S. Route 224 in each direction from 6 a.m. today until the road-widening/bridge-replacement project is completed in October.
That had not been planned until Friday, but the U.S. Route 224/state Route 11 project was moved up one day due to concerns about rain.
“They can’t stripe the roadway in rain,” said Justin Chesnic, public information officer for the Ohio Department of Transportation District 4. “Striping is very important to tell people where to go.”
That striping was done Wednesday night. There will be concrete barriers installed during the weekend.
A.P. O’Horo of Youngstown is the contractor on the $6.5 million bridge replacement and widening of U.S. Route 224 over state Route 11 that will mirror the U.S. Route 224/Interstate 680 project finished last year in the Boardman-Poland area.
That means as one half of the bridge is being worked on, both lanes of travel will be on the other side of the bridge.
Chesnic said there could be lane restrictions on Raccoon Road later this month as well as the ramp from southbound Route 11 onto 224. The Raccoon Road widening will finish with a dedicated left-turn lane, and a dedicated straight and dedicated right-turn lane at its intersection with 224.
From July to August, Raccoon Road will be closed for 30 days “just south of U.S. Route 224,” an ODOT brochure says. The detour will be 224 to Tippecanoe Road to Leffingwell Road during that time.
The work on Raccoon is expected to be finished before the Canfield Fair, as traffic will be diverted onto that road.
The ramp from southbound Route 11 onto 224 could have one lane reduced during widening later this month, which will add an additional dedicated right-turn lane.
Michal A. Naffah is president of the Naffah Hospitality Group, which owns Inner Circle Pizza in Canfield, 6579 Ironwood Boulevard.
“It’s supposed to be beneficial the way they’re doing it,” he said of the project. “We just have to do the best we can [during construction], and, thankfully, we have that entrance on Raccoon Road.”
Alex Geordan, superintendent of Canfield schools, said ODOT has kept school officials informed throughout the process. “We’re just continuing to send the message home to bear with us. This is going to be a process that we’re going to have to work together on. Parents, families are going to have to understand that it might take us a few extra minutes to take youngsters to school,” he said. “In turn, it might take us a few extra moments to get youngsters home.”
Chesnic said they will monitor traffic flow and work with law enforcement. He echoed Geordan’s sentiment about allowing for more travel time during construction.