It’s been 10 busy months since Streetsboro brought new City Engineer Justin Czekaj on board, and he’s giving the city’s roads thorough attention.
Streetsboro City Council recently inked an agreement with ODOT to allow work on state Route 43 from Frost Road south to Market Square Drive.
The plan is to add a center two-way left turn lane and a southbound travel lane between Evergreen and the Turnpike bridge over state Route 43. The project will also convert the outside northbound through lane to a northbound right-turn lane at the state Route 43/Evergreen Drive intersection. There will also be sidewalks installed on the west side of the highway.
According to Streetsboro Mayor Glenn Broska, the total project cost is estimated at almost $6.2 million, including $4.8 million in estimated construction costs, $846,071 in design costs, and $483,422 in estimated inspection costs.
Of that, AMATS (Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study) will pay almost $4.2 million, and ODOT will kick in $2.75 million, leaving the city to pay $770,000.
Construction is expected to begin in 2023, and traffic will be maintained in both directions, Czekaj said.
Additional road projects include $220,228 to resurface Frost Road between Philipp Parkway and Sunny Lane, including pavement repair, curb ramps, drainage improvements and pavement markings.
Frost Road will remain open while the project is ongoing, though motorists can expect delays, Czekaj said.
City leaders are seeking bids for two water main improvement projects:
- On Stone Road from just south of McCracken Road to Harper Road, and including all of Hale Drive and Harper Road. Estimated cost is $821,677.
- On Frost Road between Philipp Parkway and Greentree Parkway to just east of Greenhaven Street. Estimated cost is $507,859.
Again, traffic will be maintained, Czekaj said.
Looking way ahead, the city has received AMATS funding to reconstruct the intersection of state Routes 43 and 14. The $1.5 million project is scheduled for 2026.
“If you actually go through the intersection, you’ll see where our service crews are diligently trying to keep up with repairs. We will probably take out most of what’s there now and put it back,” Czekaj said.
- ODOT will cover a $1.2 million effort to increase safety at the intersection of state Route 303 and Diagonal Road. The plan is to remove the slip lane on Diagonal, widen the road, and install turn lanes to more safely access state Route 303. The project is planned for 2026.
- The state Routes 303 and 14 intersection is in line for traffic signals and removal of the runoff (slip) lane. State Route 303 will intersect state Route 14 roughly where it does now, but there will be a traffic light there, easing entry onto state Route 14, Czekaj said.
The purpose of the project is to decrease delays and increase safety, Czekaj said. The cost is estimated at $650,000, with funding courtesy of AMATS’ Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Program. No word on when construction might begin.
Why think about projects that could be the better part of a decade away?
“Most funding organizations are three to five years out to disperse their funding, so this year we could be applying for projects to begin in 2027,” Czekaj said, noting he has one in mind for 2029. “You have to be ahead of the game so that your funding is in place many, many years after you actually apply for it.”
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.