Could I-71 Interchange at Boston Still Be Possible?

A Strongsville City Councilman is urging the city to make a "wish list" of road projects -- including an I-71 interchange at Boston Road -- that might snare a share of an estimated $1.5 billion generated when Ohio issues bonds on the turnpike.

"I think what we have is a golden opportunity," Councilman at large Duke Southworth said. "I think a lot of towns are going to be lining up with their hands out."

Strongsville needs to be in that line, Southworth said.

"We need to be vocal and aggressive and see how much money we can get back into Strongsville," he said.

Yes, Even an Interchange

Southworth said the city needs to clear up traffic congestion on Royalton Road area near I-71, and believes now may be the time to revive 30-year-old discussions on the project.

Strongsville and Brunswick officials have long said on- and off-ramps should be built on Boston Road, the half-way point between the two existing interchanges on Routes 82 and 303.

"I think it's something we need to talk to Brunswick about," Southworth said. "It should be on the table."

When residents were asked about the worst traffic spots in town last year, the I-71 area was second only to getting in and out of the Plaza at SouthPark, which houses Costco, he said.

"We need to alleviate that traffic one way or the other. Maybe it's a Boston Road interchange," he said.

A Tough Road

This isn't the first time the interchange has come up in recent years. In March 2012, Council President Mike Daymut suggested setting up a meeting with Brunswick leaders to revive a local push for the interchange.

"I want to resurrect those meetings with Brunswick," Daymut said at the time.

Royalton Road is Strongsville's accident hotspot, with 38 percent of all crashes reported in the city last year taking place on that road -- most near I-71, according to police department figures.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the two cities made a major push to get an interchange built on Boston Road, going as far as drawing up plans while lobbying for state and federal money to build it.

City Engineer Ken Mikula said last year that local officials have talked about the idea with the Ohio Department of Transportation and Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency and got a lukewarm response.

"We pretty much got the message," Mikula said. "They weren't real supportive of funding an interchange there."

But Daymut said Strongsville and Brunswick already have an agreement to widen Boston Road in 2016, which is the first step toward getting a long-awaited interchange built there. 

And now the funding could be available. State officials have said they expect the the $1.5 billion from 30-year turnpike bonds to also draw matching federal funds for road projects.