Public meeting set for Coy/Navarre improvements

        Oregon will host an open house public meeting to present information and solicit public comment on alternatives for the proposed Coy Road/Navarre Avenue Intersection Safety Improvement Project.
        The meeting will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 23, from 4:30 p.m.  to 6:30 p.m. at the Toledo Lucas County Public Library Oregon Branch, Meeting Room A, 3340 Dustin Road, Oregon.
         At 5:30 p.m., there will be a brief presentation.
        The 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 proposed project was initiated by the city to reduce crashes and congestion.
        “The purpose of the project is safety,” Public Service Director Paul Roman told The Press last week. “It’s to reduce the number of accidents.”
        The project consists of the following improvements to the Coy Road/Navarre Avenue intersection:
        •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.
        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, said Roman
       
Safety grant
        “We do have funding from the Ohio Department of Transportation,” said Roman. “It’s called a Safety Fund. It’s intended for projects that have a high accident rate, which Coy and Navarre has. Over a three year period – from 2015 to 2017, there was an average of 50 accidents per year at that intersection. It was pretty high on ODOT’s list of safety projects. That’s really why we received the safety grant.”
        The funding amount of the safety grant is 90 percent of total project costs, excluding aesthetic features such as decorative poles and lit bollards on Wheeling Street, which the city plans to have for the Coy Road/Navarre Avenue Intersection Safety Improvement project.
        “That’s probably $200,000 on its own on the aesthetics side,” said Roman.
        The public meeting will include a brief project overview presentation at 5:30 p.m. by city officials and the design team. Throughout the meeting, exhibits illustrating the alternatives under consideration and the environmental impacts will be displayed. Representatives from the city’s Department of Public Service and DGL Consulting Engineers will be available to discuss the proposed improvement and address questions. All interested persons are invited to attend at their leisure any time during the open house to review the exhibits and ask questions.
       
Closure
        Additional notices will be provided prior to construction. An approximately 45-day closure of Coy Road between Navarre Avenue and Starr Avenue is anticipated to allow for the bridge replacement. A detour will be established for the closure and vehicular and pedestrian access will be maintained to all abutting properties during the closure. Otherwise, traffic will be maintained throughout construction. For Navarre Avenue, a minimum of one-lane of traffic in each direction will e maintained at all times.
        To ensure the proposed project is viable and successful, the city is asking all interested persons to attend, participate, and provide comments regarding the social, environmental, and economic impacts of the project, including, but not limited to, the effect of the project on local businesses, cultural resources (archaeological and history/architectural), ecological resources (streams, wetlands, etc.) and hazardous materials (dump sites, underground and above ground storage tanks, etc.) and the general location of the project. Additionally, the city would appreciate any information the public may have on the existence of these features in the project area.
        The city is still interested in the public’s comments and concerns if they cannot attend the meeting.  Comments and concerns can be submitted, no later than Saturday, Nov. 23, to be considered during project development. Comments may be submitted at the public meeting or by mail or email to: Paul Roman, P.E., Director of Public Service, 5330 Seaman Road, Oregon, Ohio  43616. Email comments to Roman at proman@ci.oregon.oh.us