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Do IT this week: Layering
Boston Mills detour starts Wednesday
By Rick Armon
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Sunday, Jun 21, 2009
BOSTON HEIGHTS.: Another stoplight along state Route 8 is disappearing.
The Ohio Department of Transportation on Wednesday will close Boston Mills Road at the highway.
The closing, weather permitting, is part of the ongoing effort to turn Route 8 into a nonstop freeway from Akron to Interstate 271.
For the 60,000 motorists who buzz up and down the highway each day, it's one less intersection and potential backup to navigate.
It also leaves the nearby stoplight at Hines Hill Road as the only four-way intersection remaining between Akron and the new, yet-to-open interchange with I-271. Hines Hill also is slated to close, although a date hasn't been set.
Boston Mills will remain closed for 12 to 16 months, when a new bridge over the highway opens. An overpass also will be constructed at Hines Hill.
For motorists driving Boston Mills on a regular basis, the closing will be a hassle. ODOT has built a detour on the east side of Route 8 that uses Chittenden Road and state Route 303 to connect with Route 8.
''Anytime you have a detour, those first couple of days or weeks are tough to get used to, but then things settle down,'' said Justin Chesnic, an ODOT spokesman.
On the west side of Route 8, Boston
Mills will dead-end at the highway until the bridge opens, making it difficult for motorists to get to Boston Heights Village Hall from the highway. The government office and safety forces are on Boston Mills west of Route 8.
Mayor Bill Goncy said the village has arranged with Hudson safety forces and the Valley Fire District in Peninsula to help in case they have a problem getting to the eastern side of the community.
The roadwork will be inconvenient in the short term for village residents and businesses, but safety along Route 8 will be much improved, Goncy said.
In the last several years, Route 8-Boston Mills and Route 8-Hines Hill have ranked as two of the worst intersections in Summit County for crashes, according to the Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study.
The Boston Mills closing is part of a $68.4 million project to create a new Route 8 interchange with the Ohio Turnpike. That work is ongoing.
The entire project is to be completed by June 2011.
Once the roadwork is complete, the speed limit through the village is expected to be 55 mph, ODOT said. The speed limit currently is 50 mph.
Meanwhile, transportation officials said the new northbound on-ramp from Route 8 to I-271 in Macedonia is to open by Labor Day this year. The southbound ramp from I-271 onto Route 8 should open by early October.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com.
BOSTON HEIGHTS.: Another stoplight along state Route 8 is disappearing.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Akron, Oh
Posted 09:38 AM, 06/21/2009
This is really beginning to shape up. It will be so nice not to have stop and go traffic and traffic back ups. Route 8 heading south from Highland is smooth sailing. THANKS ODOT.
Anti-Politically Correct & Anti-GOP, OH
Posted 09:56 AM, 06/21/2009
Route 8 still sucks!
Akron, OH
Posted 10:57 AM, 06/21/2009
Great project, now put in some realistic speed limits in there. It varies from 50 to 65 for what reason?
Posted 12:16 PM, 06/21/2009
its 50 where boston mills wants it 50... its called a speed trap. Income for the city is all it is.
Posted 01:45 PM, 06/21/2009
I believe that ODOT sets the speed limit, not the cities.
akron, oh
Posted 01:49 PM, 06/21/2009
This is a major load of junk. Taft, who made this highway project happen, promised that Hines Hill and Boston Mills would not be closed. He promised me that my neighborhood, off of Hines Hill, would remain accssable to rt.8. Taft was our worst Gov. and was a huge liar! sob!!!
akron, oh
Posted 03:54 PM, 06/21/2009
Anybody hit that dip in the road going south on 8 right where that new big giant bridge is on your left? Hit THAT going 65mph and see what happens to your car-will throw you into the other lane. Don't ever get next to someone in that section-really narrow and nowhere to go when they get launched into your lane. Glad when this will be done-it's a mess now.
Cleveland, OH
Posted 05:16 PM, 06/21/2009
Boston Hts. is a major speed trap. They'll get you for 52 in a 50. They'll cite you for junk like "dusty tail lights" or "dusty plate."
Akron, Oh
Posted 08:46 PM, 06/21/2009
I head south on 8 every night, but I am always in the right lane. Never saw the dip in the left lane. I will check it out tomorrow.
akron, oh
Posted 11:31 PM, 06/21/2009
Rikashmoney: they are a mayors court so they keep everything when you go, also not much of a tax base so they look for anything to make money. Also it gives the cops a chance to do a lttle looky lou into your car hoping you'll have something out:weed, gun, booze etc... lots of folks use the turnpike then take 8 south to go into Akron and Canton and they are hoping to catch a bad guy along the way. I always drive the speed limit there-they aren't called the "Boston Strangler's" for nothing.
Kent, OH
Posted 01:42 AM, 06/22/2009
"This is a major load of junk. Taft, who made this highway project happen, promised that Hines Hill and Boston Mills would not be closed. He promised me that my neighborhood, off of Hines Hill, would remain accssable to rt.8. Taft was our worst Gov. and was a huge liar! sob!!!"
Ummmm, hate to ruin your axe grinding stleo, but Boston Mills and Hines Hill roads aren't closing forever; they're closing temporarily to improve the area. It's part of road construction, especially one of this magnitude. So sorry, hate to break it to you that Taft did actually speak truth. If you go to the link below you can see that once finished, both roads will still have access to Route 8 through the extended interchange with the Ohio Turnpike and new frontage roads.
http://stateroute8.com/phase-ii-project-overview.aspx
And P.S. A LOT more people than Taft made this project happen.
akron, oh
Posted 04:35 AM, 06/22/2009
Let me get this right Stleo wants a stop light right in the middle of the interstate so that his neighbors and himself can have an entrance ramp to get on what? I guess it would be called a delay in the highway 24/7...Common sense what happened to it
akron, oh
Posted 06:18 AM, 06/22/2009
It appears the Boston Heights meter maids will still get to run their speed trap if it stays 55mph. At 65 they wouldn't get much action. But at least we won't get a ticket until we hit 56 instead of 51. Bastages.
NE, Oh
Posted 08:58 AM, 06/22/2009
Just gotta deal with it. It will be better when it's done, but I work in Cleveland, there is not much choice. Any way traveled there is a speed trap or major delays. The Boston strangler got me 2xs over the years, so, I was speeding...I paid it and have satellite music, moved on...whatever.
Stow, oh
Posted 10:01 AM, 06/22/2009
DrivinInCircles
NE, Oh
Posted 08:58 AM, 06/22/2009 Just gotta deal with it. It will be better when it's done, but I work in Cleveland, there is not much choice. Any way traveled there is a speed trap or major delays. The Boston strangler got me 2xs over the years, so, I was speeding...I paid it and have satellite music, moved on...whatever.
You also got 4 points on your license to boot! Hopefuly, they have dropped off by now.
Barberton, Oh
Posted 10:06 AM, 06/22/2009
If you don't want to "pay the dime - don't do the crime"... Speed limits are set for a reason. Ask yourself this, would YOU rather be struck by a car traveling 50 or 70 mph? I also think it is commical how people fabricate - "Rikashmoney" or any other yahoo who got a cite for "dusty tail lights" or for "going 2 mph over the speed limit" I would openly invite you to produce a copy of said citation. You can say anything that you want, it's what you can prove that is the key.
Akron, OH
Posted 12:22 PM, 06/22/2009
Can someone please explain the logic behind this whole Rt8 makeover. Its still going to be over congested and too slow. That is a bad combo. The problem isn't way up in the Highland area. That area although congested still moved. RT 8 south is the real issue. They spent all that money on fancy exist and entrances that mysteriously still didn't solve the entrance/exit issues. lol
They need to expand the whole thing at LEAST one lane. Our officials need to treat Rt.8 like the major pass through it really is. 1. Increse the capacity with additional lanes both directions 2. Increase the speed to 65. Once thats done we'll see a much better system.
