Marysville officials told city council Monday they’ve been pleased so far with how the Route 31 improvement project has positively affected traffic.
Councilperson Henk Berbee said the city has a live video feed of the area’s traffic, and asked Public Service Director Mike Andrako if the city has been able to keep an eye on it.
Andrako said officials have regularly checked in on it. He said morning traffic specifically has improved.
“Southbound no longer backs up at all,” Andrako said. “If anything, I’m giving too much green time to southbound traffic now.”
Andrako said he’s been hesitant to change the traffic patterns there since the contractor is still working on the site.
Officials have seen some concerns with northbound traffic. Andrako said there are more vehicles in the farthest right lane, which affects how people are able to merge.
“Just watching it from the camera, it seems like everybody’s able to make those adjustments,” Andrako said. “Watching it on the camera, it looks like it’s functioning pretty well.”
Andrako noted the second phase of improvements to Route 31 in 2020 will install a signal at the off ramp. That will help ease some of the northbound traffic coming from town and U.S. 33.
“When you get the green, northbound traffic will get the red, so you can pick whatever lane you want,” he said.
Andrako also said crews have started putting pavement down for the Cook’s Point road extension.
“It’s not going really fast, but we’ll be able to wrap up the paving, weather permitting, this week, and then stripe it next week,” Andrako said.
Officials are planning to keep the new road closed from civilian vehicles until traffic signals can be installed and configured.
Officials said there will be barriers to prevent entry onto the road.
In other council news:
-Members confirmed that the next Marysville City Council meeting will be held on Nov. 13 to prevent overlap with Veteran’s Day on Nov. 12.
-Council held the first reading of the 2019 budget for the city. The next meeting, Nov. 13, will include a chance for public comment.
-Councilperson Nevin Taylor asked officials if there would be barriers blocking off a portion of West Fifth Street for the city’s Voice from the Stone veterans service Nov. 11. Police Chief Floyd Golden said there are plans to block off the street from Court Street to the former Richwood Bank building.
“We’ll have officers on both ends of that,” Golden said.
– The city is gearing up for a water line replacement on West Third Street this winter.
“This is something that will be going on all winter long,”Andrako said.
The project will be on Third Street between Main and Maple streets to replace the existing cast iron lines. Andrako said the project will be similar to past water line projects within the city.
“Currently they’re saw cutting,” he said. “Once they’re done saw cutting, they will start excavating and installing the new line.”