GRANGER – After nearly a year’s delay, construction is expected to begin shortly after Memorial Day on the roundabout at the intersection of state Route 94 and Granger Road, closing the intersection for 70 days, according to Ohio Department of Transportation officials.

The barricades will go up 1,000 feet north and south of the intersection on SR 94. On Granger Road, the east side closure will begin just west of Coddingville Road, while the west side barricade will be located 1,000 feet west of SR 94. In all instances, residents will be able to travel to their driveways, according to Julie Cichello, ODOT District 3 traffic engineer.

The postponement was due, in part, to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, as state Route 94, “which serves as a detour route between I-71, I-271 and I- 77, had to remain open during that time, in case a detour route would be necessary,” Cichello said. Moreover, the utility relocations were not done in time for the project to be completed before winter.

“We didn’t want to keep the road closed all winter.” she added.

As of press time, ODOT officials did not yet have a definite start date from Fechko Construction Co. of Medina, which was awarded the project, for when the project would begin.

Other options failed

After repeated unsuccessful attempts to reduce the number of crashes at the intersection by implementing various improvements, including speed advisories on SR 94, dual stop signs on Granger Road and additional warning signs, ODOT officials announced at a public information meeting in June, 2013 that a modern roundabout would be constructed.

Of the $2.5 million construction project, Granger trustee Rich Pace said, “Granger Township trustees want to make it clear that this is a state project, completely funded by a Federal Safety Grant which is earmarked specifically for roundabout construction.”

Pace said that Granger trustees have worked with ODOT to make sure detour routes are correct and efficient. Additionally, the township trustees have effected a local maintenance agreement with ODOT that reimburses the township if damage is caused to local roads used for detours rather than state routes.

Fechko Construction Co. of Medina was awarded the bid.

ODOT has purchased 3.7 acres of land to construct the roundabout, which is 144 feet in diameter, smaller than older roundabouts, but which can easily be navigated by large trucks, as it has a truck apron to provide more space if needed.

Cichello said the construction of a modern roundabout “will reduce the number of crashes and help reduce the severity of those that do occur.”

She said because traffic flows in only one direction around a center island in a roundabout (counterclockwise), there is an 89 percent reduction in fatalities and a 76 percent reduction in injury crashes.

Crash data from 2011 to 2016 revealed a total of 27 crashes at the SR 94/Granger Road intersection, 10 of which were injury crashes and 17 were property damage. She said this roundabout will be able to serve up to 25,000 vehicles a day. Current volume is 9,000 a day.