Traffic signal timing a concern

Funds sought for study of high-accident area of Route 20

The city of Mentor is collaborating on a potential project to improve traffic flow on a portion of Route 20.

The Engineering Department is working with the Ohio Department of Transportation to obtain safety funding to retime signals from Hopkins Road to the eastern city limits.

If approved, the city will coordinate a signal timing study with ODOT.

“This stretch of Mentor Avenue has been identified by the Ohio Department of Transportation as an area with a higher concentration of

vehicular collisions,” Mentor Engineer Dave Swiger said. “The city of Mentor has been proactively working with ODOT to identify and address areas where potential safety funding may be utilized within the city.”

Retiming the signals is intended to help reduce congestion and unnecessary stops along the corridor, in hope of fewer rearend collisions.

There were 157 crashes along the stretch between 2014 and 2016 — one a fatality. Of those, a majority (57 percent) were rearend crashes in 2016, up from about 40 percent in 2014. Most occurred between noon and 6 p.m., and nearly 30 percent involved wet pavement.

Most of the crash data was recorded after ODOT texturized the pavement on part of Route 20 from Heisley Road near the Walmart entrance to the east corporation line to improve skid resistance.

Based on past studies, costs could be up to $5,000 per intersection and there are eight in the project area, Swiger said. It would not involve any funding from the city, he said.

A retiming study would entail ODOT hiring a traffic engineering consulting firm to perform traffic counts, analyze existing signal equipment and operations, and provide signal timing recommendations to improve flow.

“If the study is approved, it is anticipated that it would take place after the Meijer store opens and most likely be completed by the fall of this year,” Swiger said, noting that an agreement with the state agency is in process.

Meijer’s target opening is in May, according to City Manager Ken Filipiak.

The retiming project is in the design phase, said ODOT Public Information Officer Brent Kovacs said.

“At this time, the city of Mentor has provided background data of how their signals operate,” he said.

Signal timing adjustments are regularly made as part of normal city traffic operations.

No impacts to traffic would occur during the project.