Route 224 bridge replacement project to begin in Canfield Twp.
Drivers in Canfield Township may soon have to buckle up for some new traffic patterns due to a 17-month-long construction project to replace the U.S. Route 224 bridge.
The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission's project had been originally scheduled for 2024, but was postponed due to utility conflicts. Now, the Commission says, it could begin in the next few weeks.
"The contractor has a construction access date of March 3, 2025. Work may begin after that date. A detailed schedule of work has not been submitted by the contractor to date. The contractor must have the project substantially complete, and all lanes of travel reopened, before Aug. 16, 2026," Dan Rodriguez, design and planning engineer for the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission says in a statement.
The statement adds that in order to maintain traffic through the area, one lane will be kept open in each direction on U.S. Route 224, and two lanes of travel will remain open on the Ohio Turnpike.
The adjusted flow of traffic is expected to affect an average 29,000 drivers across that stretch of 224 each day.
News of the suddenly rescheduled project came as a shock to business owners, who say they felt 'left in the dark' with communications after the project had been delayed.
Toula Kostoglou, owner of Toula's Bridal in Canfield said she was not aware of the replacement project until 21 News had called to ask her thoughts.
"Especially with prom season coming up, a lot of girls come from Pittsburgh and I don't know how much it's going to affect us," she said.
Kostoglou recalled that in her 40 years in business, she has weathered unexpected hardship, finding community support after her previous location caught on fire around 5 years ago. But she added, the business is preparing to meet the challenge of attracting clients over the next year and a half.
"Take care of your brides, and do the best work you can do, and help people. That's all you can do, really," she said.
Casal's de Spa and Salon owner Paul Ciarniello says, he is fearful of the prospect of losing clients and business because of challenges getting to his business, which is located near the entrance to the bridge. However, the salon is brainstorming ways to accommodate.
" It seems like it's going to be quite the headache, so we're just going to have to get creative with extending times, maybe, and having the staff be ready," Ciarniello said. "People might be late, and we're just going to have to make it work."
