Work on Phase One of the new interchange is slated to begin in fiscal year 2018

Staff report

North lima

Funding has been approved for a new interchange in Mahoning County that would provide more convenient access to state Route 164 from Interstate 680 in Beaver Township, state Rep. John Boccieri said Sunday.

Phase One was replacement of the state Route 164 bridge over I-680, which opened in August. Phase Two, construction of the new I-680 interchange itself, is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2018 and is expected to be completed in 2020, said Boccieri, of Poland, D-59th. The project also includes bridge work over Interstate 76.

The legislator believes the project should be given high priority because of safety concerns, and said he plans to contact the Ohio Department of Transportation to see if construction dates can be moved up.

The construction is timely and needed, Boccieri said in praising the plans.

“I travel this route often, and there is significant danger to motorists when the [Western Reserve Road] exit-ramp traffic is backed up onto the freeway,” said Boccieri.

“In my estimation, this project could not begin soon enough,” he said, noting that 10,000 to 20,000 vehicles daily travel Route 164 between Western Reserve Road and the site of the proposed new I-680 interchange.

ODOT identified congestion as a primary reason for the new interchange. The traffic has been so heavy at the Western Reserve Road exit ramp that sometimes overflow traffic pours onto the freeway, according to ODOT’s study.

The study concluded a new interchange, which is under design review and will include a widening of Route 164 and a new roundabout at the north end of state Route 626 in North Lima, is needed.

“ODOT estimates this interchange to cost roughly $6.5 million, but when it comes to safety, every penny of this funding is wisely spent,” Boccieri said.