Mahoning County Engineer Pat Ginetti announced that the next phase of road improvements to set to begin starting Monday, Oct. 31. The county will begin to work on the Western Reserve Road sewer project, which is the next phase before the widening of the road starts. 

However, Gineetti told 21 News anchor Madison Tromler that the work will lead to some closures along the heavily traveled road in Mahoning County.

Western Reserve Road between Hitchcock Rd. and Glenwood Ave. will be the first section to be worked on. One lane of traffic will be closed in the section for the next three weeks, which may lead to heavy congestion, and the Engineer's Office recommends that drivers follow the recommended detour, which will be Western Reserve Road, turning north on Hitchcock Road to U.S. 224, or avoid the road during construction. Police officers will be on the scene to help the flow of traffic during the day, and the portable traffic signal for at night.

The road will be closed to drivers from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. beginning Monday through November 23. Drivers will be permitted to get to homes, work and businesses along Western Reserve Road between Hitchcock Rd. and Glenwood Ave. The road will be reopened to nightly to one-lane traffic from 5:30 pm to 6:30 am for travel, with a temporary traffic signal controlling traffic flow. However, the section near Hitchcock will cause to temporary total road closures as the project begins. 

The sewer project will head east along the road for more than 5 miles, from Hitchcock Road all the way to Five Points in Poland Township.

Here are the upcoming stages of the project:

  • Stage 2: Glenwood ave. to Market St. 
  • Stage 3: Market St. to Southern Blvd. 
  • Stage 4: Southern to South Ave.
  • Stage 5: South ave. to North Lima Road

Ginetti says he expects delays in the project, with some major obstacles including going under Market St., the railroad tracks at Southern Blvd, and crossing over Interstate 680 near South Ave.

Daily access will be permitted for law enforcement, emergency vehicles, local school buses, and garbage trucks.

The sanitary project will allow for the closure of the Unity Road Wastewater plant eventually and redirecting the flow to the Boardman wastewater plant.

The widening project will be bid out this fall and ready to start in 2023 and will cost approximately $18 million dollars.