The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) announce a renewed effort to develop a plan for improving traffic in and around Strongsville. The study area would be along I-71 bounded on the north by Pearl Road (U.S. 42), the south by SR 303, to the west by U.S. 42, and to the east by West 130th.
The agencies plan to hire a consultant to develop a congestion mitigation plan. The goals are:
• Come up with conceptual alternatives to alleviate traffic congestion in the area.
• Analyze feasible alternatives.
• Develop a plan that identifies solutions to managing congestion in the study area.
The study and plan development are expected to take up to two years to complete and could begin later this year. NOACA must first approve the plan at its board meeting in September.
“Congestion continues to be an issue in this area and ODOT is committed to working with all stakeholders involved to find a reasonable solution that everyone can agree with,” said ODOT Director Jack Marchbanks, PhD.
House Bill 110, the State of Ohio’s 2022-2023 Operating Budget legislation, included a requirement that the Ohio Department of Transportation conduct a traffic study in this area.
A recent preliminary feasibility study performed by the City of Strongsville looked at reducing congestion and decreasing crash frequency along the I-71 corridor in conjunction with creating a new interchange at Boston Road. However, the study did not provide an obvious solution. With the City of Brunswick in strong opposition to a new interchange at Boston Road, a new study is even more important.
“As the Metropolitan Planning Organization for greater Cleveland, NOACA’s interest is to address Strongsville’s congestion issues while not imposing a solution that is unwanted by another community. Consensus is the desired approach,” said NOACA Executive Director & CEO Grace Gallucci. “Our goal is to always enhance the quality of life in Northeast Ohio for all people.”
ODOT and NOACA will work together to ensure that the traffic improvement plan and recommendations meet the needs of all communities; and that the residents will be able to comment on the proposed plans while in development.
Once the congestion mitigation plan is complete, there will be additional steps in the process to address the issue. Some potential solutions may need to be reviewed and approved by the Federal Highway Administration. NOACA would also need to sign off on proceeding forward with environmental field studies, a public involvement plan, development of an alternative evaluation report, and any other steps necessary for a preferred alternative.
A timetable for these next steps will be forthcoming.
Media contacts:
Matt Bruning - (614) 512-5121 - ODOT
Danielle Willis-Render - (216) 241-2414 ext. 253 - NOACA Director of Public Affairs
