Riders board a bus outside the Southern Park Mall on Market Street in Boardman. Proposed changes to the Market Street corridor by WRTA could improve bus routes and stops but would mean a reduction to one lane in each direction coming from downtown. Staff photo / Lily Nickel

BOARDMAN — A proposed project that would take Market Street down from four lanes to two is being met with heavy resistance from Boardman residents.

WSP, a Cleveland-based engineering firm, is working with the Western Reserve Transit Authority on a Transit-Oriented Development plan that would alter the Market Street corridor starting just south of the Market Street Bridge in Youngstown, south to St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital. Part of the proposed plan is turning the right lane on each side of Market into a bus- and bike-only lane, forcing regular traffic into one lane.

In a public meeting Wednesday, Tim Rosenberger, project manager with WSP, presented the plan to Boardman residents and quickly was met with what they consider the harsh reality such a plan would create.

“If you continue with your project and take it down to one lane, the first fatality of a bike rider from somebody cutting in is going to be on you guys,” George Turner of Boardman said.

The decrease in lanes is only part of the overall TOD plan. A TOD is a type of urban plan and development blueprint that incorporates and maximizes the quantity of residential, business and leisure space within walking distance of public transit while creating mixed-use and compact communities in those areas. Rosenberger said TODs have transformed neighborhoods in Cleveland and other regional cities, such as Washington, D.C. He added that the concept aligns with how Market Street originally was laid out in the late 19th century.

The plan includes improving bus shelters, and adding crosswalks and lighting along Market Street while making use of some of the available parcels of land for potential grocery and retail stores.

Turner said he applauds WRTA for wanting to improve crosswalks, but he calls the potential change in traffic a dangerous situation.

“You’re going to disrupt the 44,000 residents of Boardman. I applaud you for wanting to make a change to crosswalks to make that safer, but that’s a dangerous situation,” he said.

Carl Foote, also of Boardman, added that as a biker, he has no issues riding down Market Street, but he thinks he will if the project comes to fruition.

Rosenberger said multiple agencies would have to approve such a plan, and public input is weighted heavily. Township trustees would have a say, but the Ohio Department of Transportation has the final word, even if the board of trustees disagrees with the plan. In 2020, the board challenged ODOT’s decision to install lightweight bendable barriers at three locations on U.S. Route 224, but the installation still happened. Residents worry ODOT will push ahead with the project without considering the opinions of township officials and community members.

Resident John W. Klimko said the plan is the “worst plan he has ever heard.” He said he did a survey of 30 residents and they all disagree with the plan.

“Going from four lanes to two lanes is the most absolutely ridiculous plan of all time,” Klimko said.

While Klimko said the decrease in lanes would be “detrimental” to Boardman traffic, he said he is in full support of the other proposed ideas, such as crosswalks and improved bus stations. The handful of residents who attended the meeting all agreed that ridership is not high enough on WRTA to warrant such a drastic change to the traffic pattern. They said WRTA only has around 200 riders, compared with thousands of drivers.

The police and fire departments, both of which are stationed on Market Street, have not been consulted about the plan and how it would affect emergency services, according to Rosenberger. He said there is still “a long way to go” before the project is confirmed.