Chester Road Relocation Could Cost $2.9 Million

A misaligned intersection resulting in a high number of accidents may get corrected if the city of Avon is awarded grant money to move Chester Road several hundred feet to the west to align with Recreation Lane, City Engineer Rob Knopf said.

Council passed an ordinance last week to allow Avon to enter into an agreement with Bramhall Engineering and Surveying Company.

Currently, Chester Road ends on the western part of Avon on a busy State Route 611 (Colorado Avenue), near the entrance and exit ramps to I-90. To the west is Recreation Lane, which leads to the newer recreation area including All-Pro Freight Stadium.

Earlier this year, Avon began reviewing information from the Ohio Department of Transportation, including accident statistics that indicated the Chester Road/611 intersection was one of the top in the state for accidents. At the time it was ranked 13th; it has since moved up to the ninth worst intersection.

“That’s four places higher than the year before,” Knopf said.

The project is expected to cost approximately $2.9 million, but Knopf said the city would be responsible for 10 percent of the total cost, with the balance coming from grant funding. Last week’s ordinance approved transferring  $255,000 from the general fund to the Chester Road Relocation Fund.

Knopf said he’s heard discussions that the city was looking to “square” the intersection and that it was cheaper to move Recreation Lane, than Chester.

While that might be accurate, Chester Road is in an ODOT zone and would be eligible for a state grant.

Knopf said the project is still in preliminary stages and if the city receives funding and the project moves forward, the road's relocation could be complete by the end of 2014.

“Chester (realigned) would have two left-turn lanes and one combination straight and right-turn lane,” Knopf said.