It is a big summer construction season for Stark County.
Projects in 2024 include bridge replacements, road maintenance and a new roundabout, which will altogether cost an estimated $19 million.
"There's a lot of orange barrels out there this year," said Dave Torrence, Stark County chief deputy engineer.
Most of this year's work focuses on roadway improvements, with about 50 miles of pavement, plus some microsurfacing efforts.
Stark County Engineer Keith Bennett recommends driving carefully in construction zones and having patience if there are backups.
Stark County Projects Map 2024 | PDF
Here are the county road, bridge and intersection projects planned this year in Stark:
Perry Drive widening and reconstruction (Perry Township)
Phase one of the four-phase Perry Drive improvement project will commence this summer.
Work this season includes storm sewer installation and road widening on the west side of Perry Drive from 15th Street to Southway Street. Traffic on that portion of the road will be reduced to southbound traffic only.
Phase 2, which will include waterline upgrades and road widening on the east side of Perry Drive, will start this fall into spring of 2025. At that time, traffic will be reduced to southbound traffic only north of 15th Street to Tuscarawas Street.
The full scope includes reconstructing the roadway and adding a center left turn lane. Target completion on the entire project is September 2025.
The road is one of the busiest in the area. Torrence said it typically services industrial, commercial and school traffic.
"There is a lot of traffic," Torrence said. "We've paved it a couple of times as Band-Aids, but really it was time to rebuild."
Perry Township Fire Station 1 is located on Perry Drive. Chief Larry Sedlock said the Perry Township Fire Department has been working with the county engineer's office and he does not expect construction to cause any issues.
"They are assuring us that one lane will be kept open at all times for our emergency use," he said. "If need be, we can actually move our apparatus to another station, and run out of Station 3, which is just a mile or so down the road. So we have a contingency plan if necessary."
Strausser Street, Lake O'Springs Avenue roundabout (Jackson Township)
The Strausser Street, Lake O'Springs intersection is one of the most hazardous in Stark County.
"We've had a long-standing accident problem there," Torrence said.
That's why the county will start on a new roundabout at the beginning of July. Safety funds will cover the majority of cost.
A roundabout should improve safety and reduce accidents, Torrence said.
"We've done several roundabouts here in the last few years," he said. "We've seen a good reduction in accidents, and most importantly, we've seen a reduction in serious accidents."
The project is expected to be nearly complete this year, with the possibility of finishing final paving next spring.
2024 ODOT projects:11 ODOT projects planned around Stark County in 2024. See what roads are impacted
12th Street and Summerdale Avenue culvert replacements (Perry Township)
A 90-day road closure is scheduled for this summer while the culverts under Summerdale Avenue NW and 12th Street NW in Perry Township are replaced.
The replacements are a joint project with Perry Township.
The roads will be closed at the culvert locations. Resurfacing work will also be done on Summerdale Avenue NW during the closure.
The Summerdale Avenue culvert crosses Sippo Creek near 12th Street. The 12th Street culvert is east of Summerdale Avenue, closer to Belmont Avenue.
Stark County Bridge Engineer Scott Basinger said the deteriorating culverts will be replaced with modern precast box culverts expected to last 70 to 100 years.
During construction, crews will be removing portions of the road and excavating about 12 feet of dirt.
Digioia-Suburban Excavating, LLCof North Royalton is contracted to complete the work to cost just over $1 million. The majority of funding will come from an Ohio Public Works Commission loan. A portion of the cost will be reimbursed by Perry Township. Remaining costs will come from the motor vehicle fund.
Traffic will be detoured from Perry Drive NW to Jackson Avenue NW.
Paris Avenue bridge rehabilitation (Paris Township)
A rehabilitation is planned for the concrete arch bridge that crosses a Paris Township abandoned railroad.
The rehabilitation will include concrete patching of the arch, spandrel walls and abutments and replacement of the bridge railing and approach guardrail.
Applegrove Street, Strip Avenue intersection (Jackson Township)
Traffic on Frank Avenue NW will reopen this week after a partial closure as part of the Applegrove Street and Strip Avenue intersection project.
"On Frank Avenue, between Applegrove and Strausser, we're doing a pavement repair and even a little bit of widening there," Bennett said.
The project is currently in progress. Crews have added turn lanes to improve the intersection and will be adding a traffic signal.
After the road reopens, the last steps will be to lay the final pavement.
Bennett said the new traffic signals should hopefully relieve backups around the new Costco.
"The signal will help at the north end of Strip for people to get in and out," he said.
State Street bridge replacement (Marlboro Township)
The State Street bridge, built in 1948 and renovated in 1980, will be closed in mid-June for replacement.
During the closure, traffic will be detoured on Werner Church Road NE and Middlebranch Avenue NE.
More:State Street bridge in Marlboro to close this summer for replacement. What's the detour?
Beaumont Avenue bridge replacement (Lawrence Township)
A project to replace the steel truss bridge that crosses the Newman Creek will go out to bid late this year.
The estimated $1 million project will be 80% paid for by a grant. A loan will cover the remaining funds.
Construction is expected to begin in spring of 2025.
County road resurfacing projects
- Dressler Road (Jackson Township)
- Downing Street (Pike Township)
- Ridge Avenue (Pike Township)
- Farber Street (Pike Township)
- Sandyville Avenue (Pike Township)
- Westbrook Street (Pike Township)
- Howenstine Drive (Pike Township)
- Sandy Avenue (Pike Township)
- Greenport Avenue (Osnaburg Township)
- Trump Avenue (Canton Township)
- Mapleton Street (Canton Township)
- Crestlawn Drive (Osnaburg Township)
- Orchard View Drive (Osnaburg Township)
- McCallum Avenue ( Lexington Township)
- Marlboro Avenue (Marlboro Township)
- Pontius Street (Marlboro Township)
- Alabama Avenue (Tuscarawas Township)
- Deerfield Avenue (Lawrence Township)
- Paris Avenue (Paris Township)
- Orville Street (Lawrence Township)
- Erie Avenue (Lawrence Township)
- Highmill Avenue (Jackson Township)
- Portage Street (Jackson Township)
- Strausser Street (Jackson Township)
- Market Avenue (Lake Township)
- State Street (Lake Township)
- Columbus Road (Plain Township)
- Harmont Avenue ( Plain Township)
- Broadway Avenue (Nimishillen Township)
- Trump Avenue (Canton Township)
- Everhard Road (Jackson Township)
- Orchard View Drive (Canton Township)
- Broadway Avenue (Nimishillen Township)
- Market Avenue (Lake Township)
- Smith Kramer Street (Lake Township)
- Pittsburg Avenue (Jackson Township)
- Portage Street (Jackson Township)
- Frank Avenue (Jackson Township)
- Marshallville Street (Lawrence Township)
- Elton Street (Sugarcreek Township)
- Portage Street (Lawrence Township)
Work wrapping up on 2023 county projects
Four outstanding county project that were carried into 2024 are nearing completion.
- The Farber Street Bridge, which crosses the Nimishillen Creek in Pike Township, will close for 90 days beginning today. While closed, the new pavement will be tied in to the existing roadway. Traffic will be detoured using Main Street and Cleveland Avenue. Construction is expected to be completed following the closure.
- Outstanding road resurfacing projects from last year are nearing completion. Here are the impacted roads:
- Middlebranch Avenue (Plain Township)
- Beech Street (Washington Township)
- Beechwood Avenue (Washington Township)
- Louisville Street (Washington Township)
- Broadway Avenue (Osnaburg Township)
- Wood Avenue (Osnaburg Township)
- Gracemont Street (Pike Township)
- Work is basically done on a widening project of Strip Avenue in Jackson Township.
- The Mount Pleasant Street, Pittsburg Avenue roundabout in Jackson Township has fully reopened to traffic. Construction work finished in May.
More:Pittsburg, Mount Pleasant roundabout construction delayed until spring
Reach Grace at 330-580-8364 or gspringer@gannett.com. Follow her on X @GraceSpringer16.
