BAY VILLAGE: Construction to narrow intersection at Wolf and Cahoon roads began Monday

Cook Paving & Construction Co. will work until Aug. 31 to complete the project. 

Traffic on Wolf Road and Cahoon Road will be maintained in both directions during all phases of construction, but residents should expect delays. ODOT is funding 80% of the project, and the remaining 20% is being paid for with NOACA TLCI Funds. 

"It's a unique intersection as far as the layout, and the goal as outlined through the [NOACA study] was to improve pedestrian access and pedestrian crossing and to reduce the distances and things like that," said Director of Public Service & Properties Jonathan Liskovec. 

The intersection is a "key crossing area" into Cahoon Park, the fields, the library, the pool and the playground, said Mayor Paul Koomar. 

During construction, the westbound right turn lane will be removed and the northwest curb return will be reconfigured. This project will also see resurfacing, sidewalk and curb repairs, utility adjustments, ADA curb ramp upgrades and pavement markings.

The project was initially scheduled to begin in July 2023. The start date was changed to May 1 due to the availability of contractors and resource of staff.

The project started as a recommendation out of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) Cahoon Park Area Connectivity Study that was completed in 2017, said Liskovec. The study was completed with input from various local, regional and state organizations. The initial purpose of the study was to improve connectivity within Cahoon Memorial Park and between the park and surrounding facilities. 

"[NOACA determined], if you look at Wolf Road in a general sense, it's a very busy intersection, we don't have a separate turning lane going north into the park from anywhere else, most of our intersections have a through lane and a left turn lane, having this extra turn lane created a longer distance for pedestrians to walk," Koomar said. "The NOACA study indicated it wasn't necessary for the flow of vehicles and makes it a little safer for pedestrians to cross into the park, and for school children to cross." 

When the intersection project is complete, the former roadspace will be returned to a "treelawn-type area," Liskovec said. 

This project is also a part of ODOT’s Safe Routes to School program, which provides resources, technical assistance and project funding to encourage and enable students in grades K-12 to walk or ride their bike to school. 

“The Safe Routes to School requires a lot of input from the community,” Koomar said. “We’ve had members from the Board of Education, the superintendent, the school board, area principals, Ohio Department of Transportation, NOACA representatives and residents which physically walk the city, looking for ways to make those crossing points to schools safer.”

The interurban bridge project, which is estimated to be completed at the beginning of May or end of June, is also a result of the NOACA study and is being funded by NOACA TLCI Funds, Liskovec said. This project will result in a pedestrian bridge over Cahoon Creek. 

The bridge is 125 feet long and 12 feet wide, Koomar said. The project has been in the works since Fall 2022, but faced delays due to supply chain shortages

Other projects to come out of the study include the Cahoon Basin Trail, which travels from sledding hill to Lake Road, the Western Interurban Connector Trail, which is currently out for bid, and the trail that travels from Lake Road toward Lake Erie, Liskovec said.

"These studies are very important because once we have a formal study, that allows us to apply for funding," Koomar said, adding that the city received funding from several sources for the pedestrian bridge.

The Wolf and Cahoon intersection is receiving TLCI dollars from NOACA because it was planned in conjunction with the rest of the Wolf Road improvements last year.

“[We received funding] in large part because we're already doing Wolf Road with the county, so we got some support from NOACA for that," Koomar said.

The Cahoon Park Connectivity Study can be viewed online at www.cityofbayvillage.com/439/Cahoon-Park-Connectivity-Study.