The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Roundabout project in works
Avon-North Ridgeville project spurs economic development
A partnership between the cities of North Ridgeville and Avon to build a roundabout at the intersection of Mills Road and state route 83 aims to improve traffic flow and opening the door to economic benefits, its leaders say.
A number of Lorain County road construction projects underway are increasingly centered on managing growth and the flow of traffic.
The roundabout project has been in the works since 2014 after the Ohio Department of Transportation released a study suggesting the new the would increase traffic flow in this heavily used area.
North Ridgeville Mayor G. David Gillock said the project will allow the city to open up this heavily traveled area to motorists and providing benefits to local businesses.
“I’m a firm believer in
regionalism; I always have been,” Gillock said. “Storm water is a good example. We work with our neighboring cities.
“I think it’s smart to work together, anytime we can do that. The state government calls these shared services and I am a huge supporter of that.”
Roundabouts have had a steadily increasing presence in Ohio and Lorain County Commissioner Matt Lundy said it is backed up by results, in reflecting on his time as a state legislator in Columbus.
“A lot of communities are going in that direction,” Lundy said. “They have proven to be more effective.”
Gillock explained engineers who have reviewed the project concluded roundabouts are safer and more efficient in managing traffic flow, opening up opportunities for the area.
“You get mixed comments from people who have never driven on roundabouts,” he said. “But 90 to 95 percent of people who have driven on them like them.”
Works starts in July
The roundabout project will shut down the intersection for about 60 days starting July 31, officials said.
The price of the construction will cost more than $1 million with the Ohio Public Works Commission committing $700,00 with an additional $250,000 in grant funding from the Ohio Department of Transportation.
Avon and North Ridgeville each will contribute about $240,000 in a collaborative effort with mutual economic benefits to each city, according to Gillock.
Lundy emphasized the economic benefits and cost-effectiveness of regional partnerships between municipalities to businesses in addition to motorists.
Studies conducted prior to awarding funding for road improvements usually are required to prove an economic development benefit, he said.
“The roundabout will solve a lot of problems for anyone with a business near this area,” Lundy said. “In the end, while there are some growing pains as businesses will have some struggles during the construction period, they will see the benefit.”
With Lorain County in a period of growth, managing traffic flow has become a necessary consequence.
Avon Mayor Bryan Jensen said in a July interview with The Morning Journal, he emphasized the doubleedged sword of managing economic growth and increased traffic flow.
“I think the one thing for me that you don’t realize until you get in office here is the management of the traffic is,” Jensen said. “I don’t want to say impossible, but it is not as fast of a fix that I would sometimes like to see it.
“There are all kinds of hoops you jump through if you are working with NOACA (Northeast Ohio Area Coordinating Agency), if you’re working with ODOT.”
State and federal agencies require projects to show evidence-based results looking at health, safety and economic implications in order to qualify for most grant funding, he said.
“The thing that people still struggle with is that you don’t get both,” Jensen said. “You don’t get to build the tax base and not have the traffic.”
Other road projects in Lorain County currently underway include improvements to the intersection of Krebs and Lear roads in Avon Lake near the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks.
The $1.2 million project is slated to be completed by the end of September, officials said.
It will improve flow to the area by adding new traffic lanes and a traffic light, they said.
A road widening project scheduled to be completed between April 2019 and July 2019 in Sheffield Village — which has been in development for the past five years — the Ohio Department of Transportation will add an additional lane to state Route 254 between Interstate 90 and state Route 301.
The area has been developed over the past several years as a commercial corridor in addition and also is heavily traveled by commuters to Lorain County Community College and was described by Ohio Department of Transportation as one of the most accident prone areas in Lorain County due to congestion.