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Wider Aurora Road, turn lanes get priority
(by Sue Reid - July 09, 2009)
Wider Aurora Road, turn lanes get priority
By SUE REID
Widening Aurora Road (Route 43) in Solon was a top priority identified by consultants during a City Council work session last week for a master- transportation-plan update.
Representatives from Wells and Associates Inc. addressed traffic issues in the city, including congestion along the SOM Center Road (Route 91) corridor. It was part of the third installment of the master-plan update.
City Engineer John J. Busch said the last master plan for traffic was completed in 1995, and council had requested an updated version in March 2008.
"The Aurora Road widening is a top priority because of the pressure there at the intersections and the turning movements," said Michael J. Workosky, a principal associate with Wells, based in McLean, Va.
Mayor Kevin C. Patton asked Mr. Workosky where he suggests Aurora Road be widened.
Mr. Workosky said the recommendation is to widen the road to four lanes with turn lanes beginning between SOM Center and Liberty roads. By widening, he means the addition of turning lanes where appropriate, he said. "In some locations, you'd have five lanes."
Mr. Workosky also identified an immediate need to provide increased capacity at the intersection of Aurora and Liberty roads. "The primary need is for additional through lanes on Aurora Road in this area, since Aurora Road widens to a four-lane section east and west of Liberty Road," he said. "Separate right-turn lanes are necessary on westbound Aurora Road and southbound Liberty Road."
Mr. Workosky also talked about the possibility of a connector road, as discussed with the Coral redevelopment project, a lifestyle center that was proposed and pulled off the table last year.
"If the connector road is constructed between Aurora Road and Solon Road, Aurora Road will serve as the primary access to this facility to and from the east," he said. "Increased capacity at this intersection and the connector road would reduce the travel demands on Bainbridge Road to the north through the residential area."
Other immediate action Mr. Workosky suggested the city take involves adding a northbound right-turn lane on Harper Road and a separate westbound left-turn lane and a second westbound right on Bainbridge Road. That would improve congestion during peak hours, he said.
The consultants also looked at ramp and link capacity. "We looked at ramp volumes themselves not where they diverged and merged onto the freeway," Mr. Workosky said. They also reviewed the progression of through traffic at the city's major corridors.
Councilman Edward H. Kraus asked Mr. Workosky about the possibility of widening SOM Center Road in the central retail district.
"SOM is dominated by how the intersection works at Solon and Aurora Road," Mr. Workosky said. "You have to make improvements on SOM." He said the city must look at all the SOM Center Road intersections from Bainbridge Road to the Route 422 interchange and identify what needs to happen and what right of ways are available at those sections.
Mr. Kraus also asked where the city could possibly secure more federal or state dollars, either with the connector road or improvements to SOM Center Road.
Mr. Busch said the connector road would be paid for with local funds unless it was tied into the Route 422 freeway improvements. There are more opportunities for federal funds for the widening of SOM Center Road, he said.
The widening of Aurora Road would be something the city would want to submit to the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency for federal funding, Mr. Busch said. He said that there are timing issues associated with that type of funding and if council would go in that direction it would need to consider that.
Mr. Patton also asked Mr. Workosky about the effects on traffic from a recent proposal to redevelop the Solar Shopping Center and double the size of the existing Giant Eagle grocery store there.
Mr. Workosky said that although the redevelopment would have an effect on traffic, a grocery store has more of a local draw as opposed to a store like Best Buy. In addition, he said, the developers would most likely conduct their own traffic study while plans are developing.
"The city would ask the developer to perform a traffic-impact analysis," Mr. Busch said. The city would someone like Wells to review that, he said.
Mr. Patton asked how the consultants would characterize the current traffic pattern in Solon compared to what they have seen when studying other communities.
"Solon suffers from what a lot of communities suffer from," Mr. Workosky said. "It becomes a popular place and because of that, it ends up with traffic congestion problems.
"In this economy, that is a good problem to have," he said. "Overall, traffic in the city works well, but there are locations that are difficult."
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