Oregon moves ahead with Coy/Navarre improvements

        Oregon has acquired property as part of the Coy Road and Navarre Avenue Improvement project.
        City council recently approved agreements with RW RAD Navarre LLC, 3362 Navarre Avenue,  and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 798 S. Coy Road, for the acquisition of easements for the project.
        The city paid $9,880 to RW RAD Navarre LLC. and $102,000 to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church for the easements.
        “A lot of the St. Paul’s easement is for a turn lane and some work with the Coy Bridge over the Amolsch Ditch, which is a higher cost,” said Public Service Director Paul Roman. “There’s definitely more land involved.”
        Last year, council authorized the city to enter into a real estate agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) for funding from the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) for the right of way acquisition needed for the project.
        “It will pay close to 70 percent of the right of way,” Roman said of the funds.
        The city also held a public meeting last fall that included a brief project overview presentation. The public had a chance to review exhibits that illustrated alternatives and environmental impacts. Representatives from the department of public service and DGL Consulting were on hand to discuss the project and address questions.
 
Reduce crashes
        The Coy Road/Navarre Avenue intersection is along the main commercial corridor through Oregon. It experiences large volumes of traffic from I-280 to recreational areas along Lake Erie. The intersection is ranked 39th on the 2016 Urban Interstate Highway Safety Improvement Program list for Ohio.
        The project was initiated by the city to reduce crashes and congestion.
        The project consists of:
        •Installing a median along Navarre Avenue at the Coy Road intersection with accommodations for U-turns;
        •Adding a right turn lane for northbound Coy;
        •Adding an additional thru-right lane for southbound Coy and extending the lane to Dustin Road;
        •Replacing the existing traffic signal with all new signal poles and traffic signal equipment to improve visibility and accommodate pedestrians, including adding supplemental signal heads, signal backplates and ADA compliant pedestrian signals;
        •Replacing the existing Coy Road bridge over Amolsch Ditch north of Navarre Avenue to accommodate additional pavement width and sidewalks;
        •Resurfacing the pavement within project limits;
        •Eliminating some drives near the intersection;
        •Adding landscape and streetscape elements like the Navarre/Wheeling project.
       
Safety grant
        The project is tentatively scheduled to be constructed during the 2021 construction season. The cost of the project is currently estimated at $2.5 million.
        The city received a $1.7 million safety grant to implement various safety improvements at the intersection. The grant is intended for projects that have a high accident rate, which the Coy Road and Navarre Avenue intersection has, according to a traffic study. Over a three year period, the study showed there was an average of 50 accidents per year at that intersection.
        The safety grant covers most of the project costs, excluding aesthetic features such as decorative poles and lit bollards, which the city plans to have for the intersection.
        Last year, council approved an agreement with DGL Consulting Engineers, LLC, Maumee, to provide engineering services for the design of the project.