Changes Coming to State Road, But Most Not Before 2013

State Road is going to be widened along the stretch from Graham Road to Quick Road in the northern end of Cuyahoga Falls beginning in 2013, said City Engineer Tony Demasi.

"ODOT (the Ohio Department of Transportation) is going to bid it October of 2012. We still have to buy right-of-way," the land necessary to accommodate the widening and improvments, Demasi said.

Demasi said he doesn't expect the project to affect any buildings along State Road. "I think it's just all land, I don't think we're taking any buildings."  

Last week, City Council approved legislation to get the ball rolling further on land aquisition for automobile traffic, bike lanes on each side and sidewalks on each side.

“It’s what we call a complete street,” Demasi said after the council meeting Monday. 

The 2.3-mile stretch of State Road from Graham to Quick is now mostly two or three lanes with no sidewalk or bike path. 

In a follow-up conversation, Demasi said, "It'll be two construction seasons. We're gonna be in construction in all of 2013 and probably most of 2014 also." 

Traffic will be maintained throughout construction.

"We'll have one lane in each direction. We'll do one side of the road one year and the other side of the road the next year." 

The widening project predates the Portage Crossing project at State Road and Portage Trail.

"This project was designed, conceptually ...  way before we even bought the State Road Shopping Center," Demasi said. "This was something that was needed whether the shopping center was going or not."  

Although no major expansion is planned north of Quick Road, Damasi said the length of State Road from Quick to Seasons Road will be repaved this year.

"That's a totally separate project."