Politics & Government
Construction at Intersection To Detour Drivers Through November
Turnabout will replace three-way traffic light at Smith and Riverview roads.
Construction of a traffic roundabout is underway at the intersection of Smith and Riverview roads.
The $630,000 project, led by the City of Akron Bureau of Engineering, is expected to be completed in late November.
During the four-month project, a temporary road will maintain the flow of traffic between the western and southern portions of the intersection, although access for Riverview Road on the northern side of the intersection closed Aug. 1.
Find out what's happening in Cuyahoga Fallswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
A detour route to the north of the construction is available off Smith Road, along Sand Run Road, Yellow Creek Road and Bath Road, which has access to Riverview Road.
Once the turnabout is completed, the temporary road through the intersection will be removed, said Travis Capper, senior engineer with the City of Akron.
Find out what's happening in Cuyahoga Fallswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Akron engineers are working with those from Summit County and the City of Cuyahoga Falls to complete the project, which is contracted to Karvo Paving Co. in Stow. Although funded in part through the federal government and the Ohio Department of Transportation, none are through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Capper said.
While most of the affected construction lies in Akron, about a quarter of the intersection to the northwest falls within the Cuyahoga Falls corporation limit, he said.
"It’s come to the forefront because there have been some pretty bad accidents there, with some fatalities. So, the roundabout was proposed by the Summit County engineer’s office to reduce the number of accidents, or at least the severity," Capper said.
The City of Cuyahoga Falls will pay approximately $50,000 of the total cost of the construction project, Tony Demasi, city engineer of Cuyahoga Falls said.
On average, approximately 14,600 vehicles daily travel the intersection at Smith and Riverview roads, Dave Gasper said, traffic engineer for the City of Akron.
"A roundabout will make it safer, in that respect. You’ll use less gas, because there’s no traffic light, and it slows down traffic so you can’t go tearing through there," Gasper said.
For more information, go to the City of Akron Traffic Engineering Division website.