STRONGSVILLE, Ohio — The city hopes to add and lengthen turning lanes at the intersection of Albion and Prospect roads on Strongsville’s west side.
City officials have said the intersection expansion is needed due to increased traffic on those roads.
However, it’s uncertain whether the estimated $2.6 million project can move forward without state money.
The city previously sought state funds for the same project in 2014, 2017 and 2024, but was unsuccessful each time, according to Lori Daley, Strongsville’s assistant engineer.
On Sept. 2, City Council unanimously authorized the administration to try once more and apply for $1.1 million in state funding for the intersection widening.
The funding would include a $600,000 grant and a $500,000 no-interest loan.
Daley said the city may learn in December whether it will receive the money.
Currently, Albion is a two-lane road that runs east to west from Strongsville to Lorain County. Albion remains a two-lane street through the Prospect Road intersection.
Prospect is a north-to-south route from Berea through Strongsville and to the Medina County border.
At Albion, Prospect — in addition to the two through lanes — has center left-turn-only lanes on both sides of the intersection.
The intersection expansion project would:
• Add left-turn-only lanes on both sides of Albion.
• Add a right-turn-only lane from eastbound Albion onto southbound Prospect.
• Add a right-turn-only lane from northbound Prospect onto eastbound Albion.
• Lengthen the existing left-turn-only lanes on both sides of Prospect.
At the Sept. 2 council meeting, Councilman Jim Carbone asked whether the city — if it receives the state funding — would be committed to adding and lengthening lanes at Albion and Prospect.
Carbone said that in the city’s master plan — approved by council in 2019 — a roundabout was recommended at Albion and Prospect.
Mayor Thomas Perciak and Law Director Neal Jameson didn’t know the answer to Carbone’s question.
Last week, after the council meeting, Daley told cleveland.com that the city in 2012 — after receiving several complaints about congestion and delays at Albion and Prospect — hired R.E. Warner & Associates in North Olmsted to study the intersection.
“This initial study suggested traffic flow could greatly be improved by adding the appropriate turning lanes and signalization,” Daley said.
The city then paid R.E. Warner $228,780 to design the intersection expansion and paid about $48,000 for property to make the project possible.
In 2017, the city agreed to pay R.E. Warner an additional $47,500 to add a water main replacement to the project, Dailey said.
Then came the 2019 city master plan, which — according to Daley — said, “Consider intersection improvements at Albion Road with conventional signalization or a roundabout.”
Read more from the Sun Star Courier.
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