FAIRLAWN: Relief is coming for all the motorists who are tired of getting stuck in traffic on South Cleveland-Massillon Road.
Fairlawn is moving forward with plans to widen the congested, two-lane road between Bywood Avenue and Interstate 77.
The section, only about a mile long, also will see a new multiuse trail alongside the street and a roundabout.
“For years, it’s been one of the top congested sections of pavement in the [area],” said Ernie Staten, city deputy director of public service. “It’s been a long time coming.”
It still will be a little while before the estimated $10 million project gets underway, though. The city is looking at starting it in 2021.
City leaders also stressed that the widening is unrelated to the closure of Rothrock Road as a through street several years ago. That closure shifted many vehicles onto Cleveland-Massillon.
But the widening project actually dates to the late 1980s and Mayor Bill Roth is fond of telling the story about how the original plans were put together using the metric system — back when the country was debating dumping inches and feet.
The city had to update those plans, along with environmental studies, several years ago.
Curtis Baker, director of the Akron Metropolitan Transportation Study (AMATS), said that stretch of Cleveland-Massillon is indeed one of the most congested in the region.
About 21,000 vehicles a day travel there.
It’s especially bad during rush hour and the holiday season when shoppers are hitting Montrose.
Despite the congestion, Cleveland-Massillon didn’t rank high for crashes when it came to an AMATS 2012-14 study of road sections. The Elgin/Rosemont to I-77 stretch ranked 85th in the AMATS territory, while the Elgin/Rosemont to West Market Street section ranked 109th.
Ann Fry, a Copley Township resident and parish secretary at St. Thomas Eastern Orthodox Church in the middle of the project area, drives Cleveland-Massillon all the time.
She’s excited about the widening and the roundabout, saying the road can’t handle the number of vehicles now.
“Personally, I think it’s long overdue,” Fry said. “There’s a major backlog at certain times of the day.”
The project has been on AMATS’ radar for years.
“We will see traffic moving a lot better along that section,” Baker said.
The plans now call for a five-lane road, including a center turn lane, between Bywood and Elgin Drive/Rosemont Boulevard; and four lanes from Elgin/Rosement to I-77.
The city will have to take some private property but there shouldn’t be a major impact, Staten said.
For example, the trees along the east side of the road that shield the Rosemont Country Club golf course are expected to be removed and replaced with a mound, he said.
The roundabout will be at the intersection of Rothrock Road.
The exit ramp from I-77 northbound to Cleveland-Massillon also will feed into the roundabout, eliminating the need for traffic lights at Rothrock and the ramp.
Fairlawn recently picked up a $5 million grant through the Ohio Department of Transportation for the project. It also has secured $1.47 million through AMATS.
Staten said the city would like to have about $8 million in outside funding.
In the future, Fairlawn also would like to see the road widened from I-77 to Ridgewood Road.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @armonrickABJ .