Traffic change in the cards for Fostoria

FOSTORIA — Members of Fostoria City Council met for a rescheduled meeting Wednesday where a presentation was given by Matt Sommerfeld, LPA Manager for the Ohio Department of Transportation's District 2, regarding a potential road diet. The roadway change stems from a comprehensive safety study that was conducted prior to COVID-19, with the final report being concluded in Fall 2021, said Interim Service-Safety Director Madison Stearns noted the project would be strictly funded "through ODOT safety dollars and federal funds, not city dollars. "I've reviewed the safety study that has been provided to the city and the purpose of it was to analyze accident data and identify high-risk areas in our transportation network," said Stearns. "Several corridors and intersections were flagged due to the frequency and severity of traffic incidents, some of which include fatalities," she said. One notable change mentioned by Stearns and highlighted in the presentation is along Main Street, from South Street to High Street, the traffic signal (at Main and Tiffin) would potentially be replaced with four-way stop signs. Additionally, new ADA-compliant crosswalks and curb ramps would be installed to improve pedestrian accessibility along Main Street. Sommerfeld said the project was originally introduced to ODOT in 2020 when concerns about several dangerous intersections in the city were raised by city officials. Some of these included Main, Perry and Elm streets, County Line Road, South Street, High Street and several specific intersections that, according to Stearns, "pose issues for truck turning movements." Over the years since 2020 ODOT conducted a safety study, seeing its completion in January 2022 before submitting a Systemic Safety Application for Improvements, which was later approved in May. According to ODOT, systemic improvements such as this are meant to be proactive and are widely implemented based on roadway features that have been associated with specific crash types. Additionally speaking at the meeting was Kimberly Coutcher, transportation engineer for ODOT. Coutcher explained that additional modeling and analysis was requested by the city in 2022, before presenting ODOT's findings to Mayor Donald Mennel and Safety Service Director Eric Keckler last December. Sommerfeld explained that at this point, a lot of work has been completed in regards to project preparation, and that the next step of the project would involve the spending of federal funding. "Once we start embarking on this project, if we choose to abandon it then the city would be responsible for paying back that funding that has been spent," said Sommerfeld. Sommerfeld clarified that it is funding spent from this point onwards that would need to be repaid, and not for any of the work that has already been completed regarding the project. When asked about the timeline of the project, Sommerfeld shared that design work would begin shortly if approved, with construction anticipated in 2027 or 2028. Following the presentation, several concerns about the project were raised, the main concern being the installation of bike lanes on County Line Road, with several members of council in agreement that the idea is unsafe. Sommerfeld explained that the bike lanes are there not only to serve as bike lanes, but also with the hopes of causing other drivers in the area to slow down. "It's to have the narrowing effect on the roadway to make the drivers feel like they need to drive more slowly. We need something to squeeze down the road and make drivers feel like they can't fly down this roadway," said Sommerfeld. Fostoria Chief of Police Gabe Wedge spoke on the matter, saying that he agrees that bike lines are not a safe idea. Wedge continued by offering an alternative solution, suggesting that instead access aisles be installed to be utilized by police, fire and EMS. "This can be utilized as a safer way to conduct traffic stops for all parties involved, as well as creating a space for someone to pull off to the side of the road and change their tire if need be," shared Wedge as one example. Fostoria Fire Chief Jason Root built on this, saying that County Line Rd. will always be difficult to work with because it is a pipeline for Fire / EMS to the Hospital. "Chief Wedge is correct — you never realize how much traffic we truly see until you are on the scene of those accidents," said Root. Councilwoman Lehmann raised concerns with the funding potentially being pulled at a federal level, and asked who would then be responsible to repay the funds spent on the project. Sommerfeld responded by saying to his knowledge the funding is secure, and it should not be a concern in regards to SSAI projects. Additionally, Councilman Greg Cassidy proposed the idea of installing a roundabout at the intersection of County Line Road, U.S. 23, and Ohio 199, something Sommerfeld said he will try to put into consideration. Sommerfeld said a decision should be made by June to meet the required deadlines.