ODOT announces $79 million for new Valley road projects

Another round of several road projects in Trumbull and Mahoning Counties was announced by ODOT. Some of these projects have been years in the making, all to improve accessibility and safety for Valley drivers.
The Ohio Department of Transportation announced $79 million dollars worth of projects planned in Mahoning and Trumbull Counties.
"You make a safer system when you reduce crashes and fatalities," said Justin Chesnic with ODOT. "And that's a win for everybody."
In Mahoning County, I-76 near the Bailey Road exit is expected to get more turning lanes and more lanes will be added on Bailey Road because of all the development. This is needed because of more businesses and truck stops in Lordstown.
"That truck traffic tends to slow traffic down," Chesnic said. "It maybe causes a little bit of congestion so by adding those lanes and those turn lanes on the ramps, that'll help traffic flow better."
The Bailey road project will start in the spring.
In Youngstown, paving will occur on I-680 between Gibson Street and State Route 224. The project will begin in late August or September.
"That's a $13.5 million dollar project, so that's going to be a big one," Chesnic said.
Other resurfacing will take place along Midlothian between Glenwood and the I-680 ramp. That project begins in the summer and will take 4 months to complete. The projects will start at different times and some could take years to complete.
"Roughly, we'll have about 20 projects going in the two counties," Chesnic said.
One of the most costly projects coming in at nearly 18 million dollars is a planned diverging diamond interchange at the State Route 46 and 82 interchange. There are only 2 of these in the entire state, in Toledo and Columbus.
"You're headed northbound, you're actually going to cross over onto the southbound lanes and that's going to help you be able to more easily access State Route 82," Chesnic said. "It'll improve safety. We're reducing those conflict points and it'll improve congestion and reduce crashes."
The diverging diamond will take 2 years to complete.
Finally, along Route 62 and Bedford Road, a new R-cut intersection will help reduce crashes.
"With this project, we're going to be installing something called an R-cut, a restricted crossing u-turn," Chesnic added. "The severe angle crashes led to a lot of accidents and injuries out there. You'll make a right down 62 and you'll turn around there and head back in the opposite direction."
Chesnic told 21 News it's important drivers pay close attention when driving through work zones. In 2022, the Ohio State Highway Patrol reported close to 5,000 work zone-related crashes. Also last year, there were 133 ODOT crews struck while working. Ohio law requires drivers to move over a lane for vehicles with flashing lights and obey work zone speed limits.