Prepare for the Barrels: State Road Widening Project Starting This Spring

Starting this spring, construction crews will embark on a two-year project to widen State Road by 10 feet from Graham to Quick Road.

The Ohio Department of Transportation recently held a preconstruction meeting and plans on starting the project by May, according to Cuyahoga Falls Engineer Tony Demasi.

To pay for the $9.1 million project, the city received $7 million in Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (AMATS) and Federal Highway Administration grants, and has allocated $2 million of its own money.

ODOT chose the Carvo Paving Company to undertake the job. 

The project will create two five-foot bike lanes on State Road, sidewalks on each side of the road, four new right-turn lanes and extended turn lanes, said Demasi.  

Right turn lanes will be installed at:

• Bath Road heading northbound on State Road

• Steels Corners Road heading northbound on State Road

• State Road heading westbound on Steels Corners Road

• State Road heading eastbound on Steels Corners Road

In addition, the timing of traffic lights will be synced to better circulate the flow of traffic.

Since 2006, Demasi has been working closely with URS Corporation consultants and the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to determine how best to alleviate heavy traffic congestion along the corridor.

He also has spent the last several months striking deals with 91 property owners that will be affected by the widening.

Ninety settled with the city; land from the remaining owner will either be acquired through eminent domain or through a settlement. 

Demasi predicts the project will be complete by winter or spring of 2015 and said northbound and southbound traffic will remain open along State Road during construction.

Once complete, the widening will be key to the proposed Portage Crossing project as the flow of traffic is expected to increase in conjunction with the much-anticipated development.

Keep an eye on the Cuyahoga Falls Patch Commute tab and stay ahead of the traffic jams that will likely crop up during rush hour traffic along the corridor.