COUNCIL SELECTED OPTION
At their regularly scheduled meeting on February 12, 2020, the Summit County Council selected road configuration Option 2, 2-11’ wide travel lanes and 2-6’ wide shoulders. This project widens the overall width of the road by about 4 ½ feet each side. The project will tie into driveway and parking areas in as smooth a manner as possible, widen/replace box culverts, and address known drainage issues. The project will not add the separated path, though adding this feature is possible at some point in the future should it be needed.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
Summit County is in the process of developing a project on Hoytsville Road for the summer of 2020 and future years. The project (spanning from SR-32 to Hobson Lane) will take several years to fund and complete. The project funded for 2020 amounts to about $1 million dollars. The number of years to complete the entire section of road within the County’s jurisdiction depends on the type and extent of project scope the County moves forward with. The more complex design and more expensive project might need to be phased over more years than a simpler and less costly project. In order to help us make that decision, we are soliciting opinions from the residents along the road.
The Eastern Summit County Transportation Master Plan shows Hoytsville Road having plenty of capacity to 2040, but recommends that when the road is improved, the road should be widened to include wider shoulders to accommodate non-motorized transportation such as pedestrians and bicycles. The County’s Regional Transportation Planning Director has recommended a separated path, 8 to 10 feet wide, be included in any project, though it is not required by AASHTO. Pedestrians now use the little bit of shoulder or walk on the gravel/dirt shoulders. Bicycles use the travel lane.
Below are three alternative projects, their estimated cost and the approximate number of years it would take to complete the project, assuming a consistent level of funding each year ($1 million). Note: It is possible that the County Council could allocate more dollars to this project in future years to finish faster, but we wanted to evaluate these options, and your opinions, relative to each other.
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