A portion of Tuscarawas St W near Aultman Hospital is going to look different in the near future.
In an effort to improve safety and traffic conditions, the city of Canton is redesigning a 0.7-mile section of Tuscarawas St. W.
Nick Loukas, Canton’s Assistant City Engineer, along with Public Service Director John Highman provided a presentation about the plans at Monday’s Canton City Council Meeting.
Loukas said the project would add two roundabouts at the intersections of Broad Avenue and Arlington Avenue and replacing the middle turn lane with a landscaped median.
He said they discussed the project with Aultman Hospital because they bring a lot of traffic to that area.
“There’s been a lot of discussions with the hospital and their plan,” Loukas said. “The last thing you want to do is put this kind of investment in and it doesn’t jive with what they’re doing.
$2 million has been spend on planning and design of the project.
The city applied for $12 million through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Discretionary Grant program that would allow optional features that include a multi-use path.
If the city receives the RAISE grant, they will spend a total of $25 million on the project. If they don’t receive the grant, they will spend $18 million.
“There are studies that prove roundabouts improve efficiency and safety,” Loukas added. “Studies show that there is a 77% decrease in injury crashes when you put this type of roundabout in compared to an intersection.”
Construction for the project has a start date of 2025 and is expected to be finished by 2027. The plan is to keep Tuscarawas St W open during construction, although all four lanes may most likely will not be open.