ODOT to hold presentation on project to improve safety on Route 224 in Boardman

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) will hold a virtual open house on Monday, January 29, presenting proposed safety improvements along Route 224 in Boardman.

The proposed improvements span between Market Street (SR-7) and Tiffany Boulevard. A pre-recorded presentation will be available to provide an overview of the project's history, present the recommended alternative, and receive input from the public and local stakeholders.

According to the project's website, the project's purpose is to improve safety and reduce congestion along this corridor. The corridor is listed on ODOT's Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) list for Priority Segments.

Additionally, six intersections in the corridor are ranked among the top 50 in the Governor's Safety Priorities List.

According to a safety study conducted in 2020, a total of 1,877 crashes occurred in the corridor between 2013 and 2017, with over 30% of these crashes resulting in injuries, three being fatal and 12 involving pedestrians or bicyclists.

60% of these crashes were rear-end crashes, 14% were from left turns, and 11% were sideswipe crashes. These crash types are often attributed to congestion and left turn movements.

The virtual open house will be available between January 29 and March 1 and can be viewed here. If you do not have internet access, you can have the materials mailed to you by contacting Sean Carpenter at 330-786-2274.

Comments received by March 1 will be compiled, replied to, and posted on the project's website.

The project is currently in its environmental engineering phase, which includes environmental studies and preliminary plan development.

Right-of-way acquisition is scheduled to begin this spring, and construction is expected to start in the spring of 2026.

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Future safety improvements planned along Route 224 in Boardman to reduce crashes