Strongsville Residents Take to Social Media Over Proposed I-71 Off Ramp

The City of Strongsville recently announced on their Facebook page that ODOT had awarded the city $3.5 million to build an I-71 slip ramp to to bypass the crowded Royalton-Howe intersection. However, not all Strongsville residents are happy about this news according to newsnet5 Cleveland.

While the ramp would help reduce congestion from traffic exiting I-71 at Royalton Road near Southpark Mall as designed, the problem lies with the traffic exiting onto Shurmer Road, a 25 mph residential street.

Don Costello told newsnet5 Cleveland, “Well, people are saying they can’t back out of their driveways now, I don’t see how that’s going to help them at all.”

An alternative suggestion posted on Facebook was building the interchange on Boston Road, however, reasons including gas line obstruction and the fact that the road borders Cuyahoga and Medina Counties would make it even more unlikely due to multiple county involvement. Ward 4 Councilman Gordon Short told newsnet5 that this was the next best solution.

The project is scheduled to begin in 2019 however, the city still needs to acquire more than $4 million in additional funding.