BOARDMAN — The Ohio Department of Transportation says funding has been secured for safety improvements along U.S. Route 224 in the township.

Still in the early stages, the state says in 2026 work will begin with a project focusing on Route 224 between Market Street (state Route 7) and Tiffany Boulevard.

A pricetag for all of the Route 224 work was not provided by ODOT. But a safety study identified several countermeasures to target crashes:

• Signal and signing upgrades;

• Additional through lanes and turn lanes;

• Removal of several, closely spaced traffic signals;

• Adding raised medians with designated U-turn locations;

• Decreasing the number of driveway access point;

• Improving sidewalk connectivity and pedestrian crossing facilities.

These improvements are designed to reduce the occurrence of crashes while improving mobility, the state said in a news release. Public comments on the effort will be taken by the state later this year.

SAFETY WORRIES

The projects stem from ODOTás safety study along a three-and-a-half-mile section of Route 224 between Parkside Drive and Interstate 680. The study was initiated due to numerous high crash areas.

These high-crash areas showed up on many other lists: The 2019 Governorás Safety Priority List, ODOT Highway Safety Improvement Program, ODOT Transportation Systems Management and Operations Program, and Eastgate Regional Council of Governments.

The safety study has been an ongoing partnership between ODOT and local stakeholders, including Eastgate, Boardman Township, and the Mahoning County Engineerás Office.

Route 224 is a major artery carrying average traffic volumes between 30,000 and 35,000 vehicles per day. During the five-year period used in the safety study, nearly 1,900 crashes were identified.

The study found the highest crash areas are located at major signalized intersections or sections of commercial driveways. The signalized intersections of Route 224 with Market Street (state Route 7), South Avenue, Southern Boulevard and Glenwood Avenue had the highest number of recorded crashes.

Nearly 60 percent of crashes in the study were identified as rear-end crashes. These crashes were caused by congestion, closely spaced traffic signals, and vehicles slowing to stop or turn into commercial driveways. More than 30 percent of the total crashes involved injuries, with three fatalities recorded in this corridor, according to ODOT.

GETTING STARTED

With assistance from Eastgate, the ODOT Safety Program, and the Transportation Review Advisory Council, ODOT said it has successfully secured funding for this safety project. The project is in the early stages of development and construction is planned to begin in 2026.

Implementation of the improvements will begin with a project focusing on Route 224 between Market Street (Route 7) and Tiffany Boulevard, where the study identified nearly 75 percent of crashes occurred within the safety study corridor. This includes 22 of the 29 locations identified on ODOTás priority list and six of the seven intersections recognized on the governorás top priority safety list.

In addition to comments already received from local stakeholders during the study phase, ODOT will be soliciting public comments from businesses and residents along the Route 224 corridor later this year.