MANSFIELD, Ohio — South Trimble Road between Marion Avenue and Cook Road will undergo major improvements in 2016, likely in late summer.
The approximately $5 million project involves widening that stretch of road from two lanes to four, with a fifth turning lane added at the intersections.
City Engineer Bob Bianchi said that based on an analysis of past and current traffic volumes, he was able to predict what traffic flow will be like in 20 years.
“And the traffic volumes 20 years out will warrant a four-lane facility,” he said, “with five lanes at the intersections.”
One of the goals of the project is to increase traffic safety. Bianchi noted, “Cook Road and Marion Avenue intersections are currently on the high crash location list within the county.”
Another goal is to alleviate congestion along that route. Mayor Tim Theaker said, “When the VA [Veterans Administration] Clinic was put in there on [Trimble Road] and opened up, it really increased the traffic.”
Officials also hope this project will facilitate economic development.
Theaker said, “The developer that built the VA Clinic approached us and said he’s got some other businesses that want to build on Trimble Road.”
There could be three businesses that might set up shop along the east side of Trimble Road, south of the VA Clinic, Theaker said, noting, “A couple of them are from out of the city and there’s one that could be moving there from inside the city, but we cannot say [what they are] because of the nondisclosure agreement.”
A T-intersection will be added at the crest of the Trimble Road hill, which will provide access to the new developments, Bianchi said.
“What we don’t want to see is a bunch of driveways [leading to the new developments] along this corridor,” he said, “So we’re limiting the access point to one road.”
He added, “We’re not building this road specifically because of one or two developments. We’re building it based on the historical growth that we’ve seen, and also to facilitate new growth…We’re accommodating what’s to come, but at the same time, meeting the needs that are presented right now.”
Also as part of this project, the traffic signals at Cook Road and Marion Avenue will be replaced and upgraded; and a 10-foot multiuse path will be installed along the east side of Trimble Road for bicyclists and pedestrians.
“So rather than just having standard five-foot walks on both sides, we’re going to have one multiuse trail for people to use,” Bianchi said.
In terms of funding, Bianchi said, “We’re looking at getting 90 percent outside funding for this project,” with 80 percent of the funds coming from the Ohio Department of Transportation and approximately 10 percent coming from the Ohio Public Works Commission, he said.
The city will match the remaining $500,000 using permissive sales tax funds, which are earmarked for transportation use. “So we don’t anticipate using a single dime of general fund money for this project,” said Bianchi.
Bianchi said they’re currently in the right-of-way acquisition phase of the project. He explained, “We’ve got to purchase a little bit of property along the intersections and along the edges to widen the road, so that’s what we’re doing now.”
Construction is slated to begin in August of 2016 and continue into the spring of 2017.
