Route 11 work lets travelers take smoother trip north

By Denise Dick

VIENNA — The sound of tires flapping as you travel along state Route 11 on the way to a Lake Erie summer weekend will soon be a distant memory.

Work continues on an $8.8 million project to resurface Route 11 from King Graves Road to south of state Route 5 through Johnston and Fowler townships in Trumbull County.

Work started last March and is slated to be done in October.

Shelly and Sands of Zanesville is the contractor.

Barry Mazarik has been traveling that route between his Cortland home and a campground in Ashtabula County for about 15 years.

“Between about 10 years ago and now, it’s a lot better now, I believe,” he said.

That section of Route 11 is a main path of travel for Mahoning Valley residents heading to Lake Erie, Ashtabula or Pymatuning State Park for a summer Saturday at the beach, a weekend in a lakeside cottage or an evening at a winery.

The road was spotty with potholes and uneven surfaces, giving travelers a bumpy ride.

“You know that sound you hear like your tires are flapping?” Mazarik said. “You used to hear that.”

He spends many weekends throughout the summer at the campground, so he’s a frequent traveler over that portion of road and says the resurfacing provides a smoother trip.