ODOT looking at possibility of adding round-about at busy Austintown intersection

The Ohio Department of Transportation is asking for the public's help in discussing the possibility of a roundabout at State Route 46 and New Road in Austintown Township.

In May, ODOT analyzed the existing intersection and traffic patterns.

As a result, ODOT determined that converting the intersection to a roundabout would help address the existing safety issues by slowing approaching traffic, reducing crash severity, and improving the intersection's overall operation. 

The proposed roundabout is currently in the planning phase, which includes public involvement, environmental studies, and preliminary engineering.

The next step will be a virtual open house planned for sometime before mid-March.

The next phase will occur in the summer of 2025, with a detailed design completed. 

Between the summer of 2025 and 2026, ODOT will work to acquire the property needed for the road changes. 

From January 2016 to June 2022, ODOT reports that 45 crashes occurred within the study area. Of those, 19 crashes involved injury, including one fatal crash. The most common crashes were rear-end crashes (49%), followed by left-turn crashes (18%) and sideswipe (passing) crashes (11%).

Safety concerns according to ODOT at the current configuration, are:

• Drivers have difficulty making left turns without a protected green arrow (8 left-turn crashes at the intersection, three resulting in injury);
• Drivers fail to slow behind stopped/yielded or slowing vehicles as they approach the intersection (22 rear-end crashes at the intersection, seven resulting in injury);
• For northbound vehicles, this is the first traffic signal in approximately one mile, which may be unexpected (11 rear-end crashes for vehicles approaching from the south);
• Westbound drivers making the right-turn movement did not stop before turning right on red;
• Driveways on New Road to access the Credit Union on the northwest corner are very close to the intersection and cause difficulty for exiting vehicles;
• Wide corner allows right turns to be made at relatively high speeds.

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