North Ridgeville, Avon to enter cooperative agreement for construction of roundabout

NORTH RIDGEVILLE — After receiving approval from the City Councils in each city, the mayors of North Ridgeville and Avon can enter into a cooperative agreement to construct a roundabout at the intersections of Stoney Ridge Road, Mills Road and Avalon Drive. North Ridgeville City Council voted 6-1 on Monday in favor of authorizing the agreement. Mayor Kevin Corcoran asked for the legislation to be passed on an emergency basis due to the city's need to acquire right-of-way. After the meeting, he said the right-of-way that needs to be acquired is on a vacant parcel, not an existing residence's yard. Plans call for the construction of a peanut-shaped roundabout intersection to safely address congestion problems around the area of Stoney Ridge Road just south of the border between Avon and North Ridgeville. Councilwoman Holly Swenk, R-1st Ward, cast the lone dissenting vote Monday. She said after the meeting that the project "doesn't sit well." Residents who live toward the east end of Avalon Drive are worried about how a roundabout at the entrance to their neighborhood could affect them, she said. "They're concerned. They can't back out of their driveway as it is," Swenk said. "I just feel like there should be other options looked at." Some of the residents in that area made their voices heard at a North Ridgeville City Council Committee of the Whole meeting on Sept. 20, where they expressed opposition to the roundabout for multiple reasons, including a fear it could worsen speeding problems on the road. At that meeting, North Ridgeville City Engineer Daniel Rodriguez said modeling projected the average speed of a vehicle leaving the roundabout would be about 19 mph. Avon City Council passed its own legislation on Oct. 25 to authorize the cooperative agreement. Although Avon's city limits do not extend south of Mills Road, the city does play a role in the project because officials wanted to see certain sidewalks and asphalt paths installed in its right-of-way that align with its master plan for pedestrian access. "North Ridgeville came back and said they'd be happy to put those in, provided that the city of Avon pays those costs," said Avon City Engineer Ryan Cummins at an Oct. 18 meeting. As the lead agency for the project, North Ridgeville will be responsible for paying for construction, although the amount they will pay is not known yet due to the possibility of being awarded grant funding. Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.