Friday, December 22, 2017
POLAND
Those involved in a plan to construct Mahoning County’s second roundabout at a busy township intersection believe it will reduce traffic jams and serious accidents there.
The county engineer’s office plans to install a roundabout at the intersection commonly called Five Points – a five-way stop at North Lima, East Western Reserve and Springfield roads.
BACKGROUND: Mahoning County's first roundabout now open
“It was deemed that there was a traffic situation with backups, and a study was performed. Several alternatives were provided, and the roundabout was the best solution to alleviate some of the traffic backups in that area,” said Mike Stipetich, construction/design engineer with the county engineer’s office.
Right-of-way acquisition is slated to begin in the spring; construction plans will be completed next winter; and construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2019. The estimated construction cost, which will be covered by federal and state funding, is more than $1.5 million, according to the county engineer’s office.
BACKGROUND: Mahoning County engineers plan another roundabout
An open house about the project will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Jan. 11 at New Life Christian Church, 2250 E. Western Reserve Road.
The project will mark the second time a roundabout is installed in the county. The first, at Mathews and Sheridan roads in Boardman, opened in 2014.
Stipetich acknowledged drivers in the county might not be completely comfortable driving in roundabouts.
“There is a learning process,” he said, noting that the first roundabout features instructional signs. “I think it’s mostly [local drivers] not being subjected to these roundabouts.”
Drivers in the roundabout have the right of way, and drivers must yield to vehicles to their left.
Stipetich said one of the primary advantages of roundabouts is their impact on safety.
“It minimizes the severity of accidents. If an accident would occur, instead of head-on collisions or T-bone accidents, it’s more of a minor sideswipe type of accident,” he said.
Managers and owners of several businesses located near Five Points, while acknowledging traffic can be a problem there, said they are concerned about the project’s impact on their sales.
“My concern is how they’re going to look at the project and how they’re going to handle the situation. There are nine to 11 businesses right here at this intersection,” said Jake Olson, owner of Ianazone’s Pizza on North Lima Road. “If they don’t do it the right way, there’s a good chance they’re going to put several businesses out of business.
“Outside of that, I do believe it needs to happen. I believe it will work,” he added. “I just hope they have some good, realistic answers at the [open house] meeting.”
Lisa Dillon, manager at Sami Quick Stop on East Western Reserve Road, said she is not in support of the project because she believes it will hurt the business. She said traffic has long been an issue in the Five Points area and that a traffic signal at the intersection would be a better solution.
Tom Howlett, manager at Coaches Burger Bar on Springfield Road, said traffic heading east is an issue on Western Reserve Road from about 4 to 6 p.m. daily, but other than that, it’s not much of a problem.
“We’re kind of interested in seeing how it’s going to work out,” he said.