Major state Route 21 improvement project begins. See which intersections are impacted

CHIPPEWA TWP. − Work began this week on a major road improvement project on state Route 21 in Wayne County.

The project, which encompasses a six-mile stretch of highway between the Summit and Stark County lines, is the first major improvement project since the route was built in the 1950s and 1960s.

"The road itself has been in need of repairs for several years," said Ron Browning, Chippewa Township trustee. "They've done patchwork a lot and it's just so rough to drive on."

Single lane closures were expected to begin this week on the four-lane, divided highway. Crews are laying temporary pavement and paving crossovers to move traffic onto southbound lanes and the southbound shoulder. Northbound lanes will be closed this year for construction.

The project will include full-depth pavement replacement, bridge repairs and culvert replacements. Safety improvements will be made at four intersections: Clinton Road, Edwards Road, Grill Road and Eastern Road.

At Clinton, crews will add a Reduced Conflict U-Turn (RCUT). An RCUT removes left turns or the ability to continue straight from the minor road at an intersection. To get to the other side, a driver instead makes a right turn followed by a U-turn in a designated crossover lane.

The Edwards intersection will be transformed into a "superstreet reduced conflict intersection." It involves an RCUT with traffic signals. Drivers on Edwards will not be permitted to make left turns or continue straight at the intersection. The driver will stop at a traffic light, make a right turn and then queue for a U-turn in the designated crossover lane. A traffic light at the crossover lane will alternate between drivers on Route 21 continuing straight and drivers in the queue to make a U-turn.

Clinton and Edwards will both have a mountable concrete island in the median for emergency vehicle crossings.

Northbound and southbound right turn lanes will be added at Grill, and the median will be extended through the intersection so vehicles won't be able to turn left onto Route 21. At Eastern, crews will extend the northbound right turn lane.

The intersections will remain open during construction, but may be closed next year when work will proceed in the middle of the intersections.

According to the Ohio Department of Transportation, over 19,000 cars travel each day on the roadway, which serves as a major route between Massillon and Cleveland.

The project will cost around $30 million and is funded by federal and state funds.

'Nobody's happy about it'

Employees at the Doylestown Food Mart, a small store and gas station located at the intersection of Route 21 and Edwards Road, said construction and closures on the highway will be inconvenient and could affect business.

Nanya Patel's brother owns the business. She and her husband, CK Patel, help run the store. They said lanes closures on Route 21 and work at the intersection could make it difficult for customers to get to the store.

"They will give the business to the Circle K, no one will be coming here," Nanya said.

The Circle K is located at the intersection of Eastern Road and Route 21.

Stephani Kame is a part-time employee at the food mart. She lives on Edwards Road and has a farm.

When the road improvement project was still in the discussion phase, Kame helped submit a petition to ODOT to stop the project. She's worried that work at the Edwards intersection could make the area unsafe.

"Nobody's happy about it," she said. "It's not just the inconvenience of it. Yeah, it's going to be a pain in the butt having stopped traffic all the time, but it's going to be a safety problem."

She said many farmers in the area share her concerns, and the money they are investing into the project could be better spent elsewhere.

"It isn't going to fix the problem, it's just going to cause more safety issues," she said.

Sandy Sipes, manager at Westview Mobile Home Park, located on Edwards Road across from Doylestown Food Mart, said she hasn't seen much work on the roadway yet but expects it to become an inconvenience for residents.

"It will affect the community a lot," she said. "Hopefully they can route us in different directions where maybe we won't have to use 21 as much because a one-lane road is not going to be good."

Browning said construction and lane closures could cause some delays for first responders in the township.

"It's really going to impact fire and EMS if something does go wrong," he said. "But that's no matter what project you do, you have that same issue. Everybody wants it done but nobody wants it to impede on their traffic."

He said the EMS and fire departments have been communicating with nearby cities, such as Norton and New Franklin, to help coordinate emergency response ahead of construction.

"I'm glad that it's finally getting done," Browning said. "It's just that there is no right time to get it done."

When will construction be done?

Work on Route 21 will happen over three construction seasons, with lanes reopening to traffic during the winter months.

This year, crews will move all traffic onto the southbound shoulder and outside lane and start construction work on the northbound lanes.

During the 2025 construction season, traffic will be moved to the northbound shoulder and inside lane while crews rehab the southbound lanes.

During the final construction season in 2026, the temporary pavement and paving crossovers will be removed and work will be finished on remaining pavement areas, medians and traffic lights. Intersections may be closed.

The project is estimated to be complete in June 2026.

Reach Grace at 330-580-8364 or gspringer@gannett.com. Follow her on X @GraceSpringer16.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: State Route 21 improvement project begins in Wayne County