Albion Road Won't Reopen for Awhile

Don't look for to reopen any time soon, officials said.

Repairs to the road, closed May 10 at the Albion Woods picnic area, near Valley Parkway, due to a structural failure, are not as simple as they might seem, Mayor Tom Perciak said.

Officials still aren't sure if the engineering work to shore up the crumbling road can be done in-house or if it will exceed $25,000 and have to be bid out.

"We're a while away," Perciak said.

Service Director Joe Walker said the problems there started some time ago, but the rainy spring accelerated the issue.

With the pavement crumbling down the hillside, "the only thing to do is close that short section," he said.

Barricades have been placed on Albion at Handle Road on the east side of the closure. On the west end, the barricade is at Albion and Valley Parkway at the four-way intersection. Local traffic is allowed from the west to Albion Woods.

From the east side of the closure, residents of the 13 homes that are located west of Handle Road are permitted to use the road. 

 Walker said there are two options for fixing the road: Shore up the hillside or shift the road a few feet in the other direction. He said there is enough right-of-way on the other side of the street to pour new pavement and erect a retaining wall where the asphalt is compromised.

Meanwhile, Perciak said he has gotten calls from residents in that area, thanking him for the detour.

"They say it's quiet, it's nice -- it's like it used to be," he said.