Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Director Pamela Boratyn announced plans for nearly 40 transportation projects aimed at improving safety on roadways in 27 Ohio counties. 

Locally, the plans include $1.9 million toward reconstruction in East Liverpool, including signs, sidewalks, pedestrian crossings and lighting improvements. Construction of a roundabout at East Liverpool's Park Way and Boyce Street is also included in the plan. 

The East Liverpool projects are also part of a $37 million federal grant project, according to a news release.

The safety projects statewide are funded through $97.2 million in ODOT's Highway Safety Improvement Program money, the release states, with ODOT's safety program being the largest in the country based on per capita spending. 

"We want Ohioans to get from place to place safely," DeWine stated. "We put a lot of effort into road design and physical road safety in order to make our roads as safe as possible." 

Plans for Mahoning County also include the addition of a roundabout, with one to be located at Palmyra Road in Ellsworth. The Palmyra Road roundabout is projected to be completed in 2029, costing $3.2 million.

Trumbull County can expect to see interchange improvements at State Route 193 and Niles Vienna Road, as well as a restricted crossing U-Turn at the same location, eliminating left turns and crossing traffic from side roads. The $3.2 million project is set to be completed in 2028.

"These projects represent a strategic, data-driven approach to reducing deadly and serious injury crashes on Ohio roadways," Boratyn stated. 

The release also states that Ohio has seen four consecutive years of reduced fatalities and injuries, which they credit to the record investment in safety projects.