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LISBON -- Columbiana County Engineer Bert Dawson said a project with the Ohio Department of Transportation will light up state Route 170 in Calcutta, brightening the stretch for motorists.
"The whole point is safety," Dawson said. "We're trying to light that whole area up."
County commissioners on Wednesday authorized Dawson to sign documents and have the engineer's office and ODOT go ahead with the project, which is going out for bid in March with a construction start date of June 1.
Plans call for the construction of 51 new LED type street lights rising 40 feet high and 10 rising 22 feet high over the highway surface which includes nine county and St. Clair Township road intersections between state Route 11 and Calcutta Smith Ferry Road. In addition, 18 existing locations will be upgraded with LED lights.
The intersecting county and township roads include: Dresden Avenue, Homestead Boulevard, Huston Road, Columbia Drive, Challenger Drive, Broad Street, St. Clair Avenue, Sprucevale Road, Calcutta Smith Ferry Road and the entrance ramp to state Route 11.
Dawson said the lighting project is a joint effort between the county and ODOT to make the five-lane road a little safer, noting that it's dark along there because most of the businesses set back from the road. He said there's a lot of accidents for assured clear distance and they're hoping the lights will make it easier to see at night.
Since 2017, Dawson said there have been 288 accidents along the Calcutta strip corridor, many occurring at dusk.
"The additional lighting should help reduce or eliminate the number and severity of these collisions," he said in a narrative about the project.
"District 11 ODOT Director and former Columbiana County resident Tom Corey cooperated in making the project happen," Dawson said, adding, "Director Corey is great to work with."
The estimated cost is $800,000, with the majority of the funding come from various grant programs available to ODOT and the county.
Dawson's written narrative also gave updates on other projects affecting the Calcutta area, commending the St. Clair Township trustees and fiscal officer for the opening of Columbia Drive after years of planning and working to get the funding. He said the new road opens up hundreds of acres of ground for development with available water and sewer. The project enhances "the possibility of getting numerous businesses and opportunities for our people and others in the tri-state area," Dawson said.
Also planned is the next phase of the Calcutta Smith Ferry Road improvement on the west end which will begin next summer since all funding and environmental issues have been addressed, with grant funding secured.
"Since the new cracker plant in Monaca opened, traffic on Calcutta Smith Ferry Road heading toward state Route 7 and state Route 11 has drastically increased. This should help resolve some of the congestion on the Calcutta strip and St. Clair Avenue road intersections and corridors. It is also safer for the eight or nine Beaver Local buses that travel the road both to and from the school complex," Dawson wrote.
In other news, Dawson reported that the major bridge replacement project in Homeworth finished on time and on budget. The $7 million sanitary sewer project in Hanoverton is progressing and should be finished by mid-summer.