New Route 615, Tyler Blvd. traffic lights to start

Motorists who frequent Route 615 in Mentor may notice a difference on their trip this week.

New traffic signals installed for the City Market project are scheduled to begin operating Feb. 13.

The signals at Route 615 and Tyler Boulevard were placed on flashing mode Feb. 4 to prepare motorists.

“The changes were necessary to mitigate traffic impacts from the new City Market development,” Mentor Engineer Dave Swiger said.

Once complete, the development is expected to generate about 450 vehicular trips — including entering and exiting vehicles — in the morning peak hour, and roughly 600 trips in the evening peak hour.

The average daily traffic on Route 615 already is about 26,000 vehicles per day and the Tyler Boulevard count is 14,000 vehicles per day.

“The two new traffic signals have been timed to work in conjunction with the existing traffic signal system,” Swiger said. “Impacts from the new traffic signals are expected to be minor.”

The project, performed by Karvo Companies Inc. of Stow, cost about $1.5 million and, along with two new signals, entailed the following:

• A right-turn lane was constructed on Route 615 southbound into the City Market development.

• A Classic Chevrolet driveway on Route 615 was relocated to the new signalized intersection.

• A multitenant plaza driveway, across from the new City Market drive on Tyler Boulevard, was relocated to the new traffic signal.

• Dual left-turn lanes are being established from Route 615 to Tyler Boulevard.

• A new median was built on Route 615 to not only to bar left turns into the development, but also to improve aesthetics.

Route 615 will be repaved as well, in the spring, from Fracci Court to the Route 2 eastbound ramp.

City Market’s anchor tenant is a 55,000-square-foot Giant Eagle. The design shows six outlots and an area designated as Phase II.

Wendy’s restaurant has opened in City Market, but opening dates for the grocery store and Taco Bell have yet to be determined, said Bradley A. Goldberg, vice president of development for developer Visconsi Companies, Ltd.

Regarding the other lots up for grabs, he said, “(We are) working with a variety of potential users.”

The roadway improvements are being paid for with tax increment financing, according to an agreement with VOH-Mentor, LLC. The agreement includes a 100 percent, 30year TIF deal.

The TIF will enable the city to make payments on the work with taxes accrued on the increased value of the property once the development is completed. The developer has indicated that the appraised value of the improvements will be more than $20 million and that the taxes generated by the project will be sufficient to cover the cost of the upgrades.

Mentor School District will still receive all of the revenue it would have had the TIF not been in place.