Hold on to wheel, smoother road ahead

By CARL E. FEATHER - Staff Writer - cfeather@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon

July 01, 2009 07:39 pm

— That bone-jarring, suspension-damaging ride down Route 20 through Ashtabula Township and North Kingsville will be transformed into a smooth ride later this year, thanks to federal stimulus money.
Justin Chesnic, public information specialist for Ohio Department of Transportation District IV, said an eight-mile paving project was awarded June 10 to Koski Construction of Ashtabula. The project covers the section of Route 20 from Route 11 eastward to the Norfolk Southern Railroad overpass near the Conneaut/ North Kingsville border. The $2.5 million project will be funded with federal stimulus money.
“It will be your basic tearing up of the old pavement and putting asphalt down,” Chesnic said.
The timetable for the job has not been determined. Chesnic said a preconstruction meeting with the contractor is scheduled for Tuesday and an outline for the work will be created at that time. The project has a completion date of late October.
The four-lane highway appears to be falling apart, with several particularly hazardous depressions in the eastbound lane in front of Ashtabula Towne Square. A mall spokeswoman said its employees do not hear complaints about the road’s condition, however.
Ashtabula Township Trustee Joe Pete Sr. said trustees hear many complaints about the highway but there is nothing they can do about it, except pressure ODOT to address the problems.
“We’ve heard a lot of complaints. So we’re glad ODOT is going to do that,” Pete said when he learned the project has a green light.
Pete says the stretch of road east of Vineland Avenue draws the most complaints.
“I hear a lot of complaints about that little section. We’re going to run it by ODOT to see if something can be done about that,” Pete said.
Chesnic said the section of Route 20 between Ridgewood Avenue and Cook Road still is slated for a major overhaul that will go out for bids in 2013. The work will include widening to accommodate a turning lane, improved drainage and sidewalks.
The resurfacing planned for this year should be more than adequate to accommodate traffic until the 2013 work can begin.
“The last big job up there was 1990, with some other work in 2000-01,” said Chesnic.
Motorists who use Route 84 between Kingsville and Ashtabula Township as an alternate route to North Ridge East won’t find any relief from their rough ride this year. Chesnic said ODOT plans to bid that project, from Route 193 west to Route 11, next year. He said the project most likely will span two construction seasons, with work beginning in fall 2010 and wrapping up in 2011.

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