The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Work coming to 3 roads
Construction set on Diamond Centre, Center Street, Hopkins
Construction is soon to start on some busy Mentor thoroughfares.
Work will begin mid-month on a project extending the westbound right-turn lane of Diamond Centre Drive from Heisley Road to Emerald Court. In addition, an eastbound right-turn lane will be built into the proposed Menards store site.
Two-way traffic will be maintained with narrowed lanes.
“The extension of the westbound right turn lane from its current location to Emerald Court will improve traffic capacity for the Heisley/Diamond Centre intersection,” Mentor Engineer Dave Swiger said. “This improved traffic flow is welcomed along the Diamond Centre corridor.”
Weekday traffic volume along the stretch is about 19,500 vehicles per day, he said.
The project is anticipated to be complete by late November, subject to utility relocation schedules. The city budget allocated $560,000 toward the project this year.
The funding for the Diamond Centre widening to Heisley is the subject of a lawsuit between the city and Shamrock Business Center Ltd., developer of property to the east.
“Nothing is happening with this right now,” Mentor Law Director Richard A. Hennig said. “When Menards opens, that status is likely to change.”
Meanwhile, the 185,000-square-foot Menards is moving forward at 9600 Diamond Centre Drive after multiple delays. The home improvement store chain received final site plan approval in April 2015 and requested a six-month extension the following year.
“If all goes as planned, we hope that this store will be ready to open sometime in spring 2019,” said Spokesman Jeff Abbott. “The store is being built in our largest format with all the latest, greatest home improvement products and will include numerous departments, a full-service lumberyard with a covered warehouse, beautiful garden center, pet and wildlife department, appliances, a line of groceries, several great displays and much more.”
Also this month, work is anticipated to begin on the right-turn lane on Center Street into the City Market development.
Along with adding a southbound right-turn lane, the project involves:
• Constructing a grass median with decorative lighting along a portion of the turn lane
• Resurfacing Center Street from Route 2 to Fracci Court
• Installing traffic signals at the Center Street and Tyler entrances to City Market
• Relocating Classic Chevrolet’s main drive to align with the new Center Street signal.
“Work will continue throughout the fall as utility relocation permits,” Swiger said. “Due to the long lead time on the traffic signal poles, the new traffic signals may not be operational until January.”
The project should proceed without significant traffic impacts, he said.
“Traffic delays may be expected during paving operations when they occur,” he said.
Next month, the Hopkins Road resurfacing project — from Route 20 to Route 84 — is to take place. Two-way traffic will be maintained by flaggers.
These projects are in addition to the ongoing widening of Route 20 east of Center Street. The work got underway a year ago.
Police Chief Kevin Knight said his staff has monitored the area “as much as time and call activity has permitted.”
“Drivers need to be patient, slow down and pay attention in any work zone,” he said.