ODOT crews have about 25 projects to get to in Mahoning and Trumbull Counties this season. One of the longest projects is on State Route 170 where crews are resurfacing the entire road through the Village of New Middletown and Springfield Township.

“We started on the southern limits of that job and are working our way north,” Justin Chesnic, the Public Information Officer for ODOT said. 

The paving started on April 11 but local businesses owners say the signs that were put up are causing customers to not come.

“This is typically our busiest season of the year and everyone thinks the road is closed so they assume they can’t get to us and that's actually not true,” KC Kerrigan, the General Manager of the ACE Hardware in the New Middletown Plaza said. 

Signs before the New Middletown Plaza tell drivers it’s not open to truck traffic. Kerrigan said that caused a lot of confusion for regular drivers thinking it was close to them. 

“We’re pretty much dead a lot of times for lunch. I think it has definitely affected us. I think we’re blessed at the moment because the construction isn’t right in front of us,” Melissa Chambers, the owner of Tiger’s Table at the corner of Main Street and Sycamore Street said. 

But Chambers and other owners were told that in September their section of the road will close for the construction. However, they’re planning to stay open and hope that customers use the side streets. 

“If they come down 170, they’ll just have to, I guess, go through the plaza. I don't really know what they're going to say,” Chambers said. 

On Wednesday, 21 News crews observed ODOT workers patch filling potholes and flagging cars to drive around them on 170 in front of Ace Hardware and Tiger’s table from Struthers Road to Ohlin Drive. 

Traffic apps like Apple Maps indicate that 170 from Skye Drive to Struthers Road has one lane closed.

“We have one lane open going northbound through there. The closure is of course for trucks, we don’t want any trucks going through there except for deliveries and things like that,” Chesnic said. “That pavement out there was failing, that drainage was failing so we have to update all of that.” 

Crews will continue working on 170 until this fall, then roads will completely re-open in winter and then close again in spring of 2025 for more work. The entire repavement project is expected to be finished in October of 2025. 

Until then business owners say they need continued support from the community. 

“We are a small independently owned, locally owned business and we really need the support of our customers. I can speak for myself in this hardware store  as well as the pharmacy, the coffee shop around the corner …” Kerrigan said. “We’re hoping that we can still serve the community like we have for years and just get through this little construction.”

If customers don’t want to get stuck in construction traffic ACE Hardware on Main Street is offering delivery service.

For a full list of projects happening this construction season, click here.