LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — A proposed safety improvement project along Cable Road is drawing strong reactions from residents and business owners as city officials work to explain the plan.
The City of Lima is urging motorists and nearby property owners to review details of the project online and better understand how the changes could affect traffic flow and safety. The corridor, which stretches from Latham Avenue to College Park West Drive, was identified for funding through the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Improvement Program due to a high number of crashes.
City Engineer Ian Kohli said data collected between 2017 and 2021 revealed 156 crashes along that stretch of road, with nearly 28% resulting in injuries. Further analysis showed a higher-than-average rate of angle crashes compared to statewide figures.
“Between 2017 and 2021 there was 156 crashes on this section of cable road. Of those, almost 28% resulted in injuries. So when we dug deeper into that data, we saw that angle crashes were significantly higher rate than statewide averages. There was also an engineering analysis that looked at the capacity along Cable Road. Those traffic counts were collected in late 2023 well after we saw traffic return to normal from the pandemic levels. It's important to remember that there's actually three main sections to the proposed design, and they were all implemented to improve safety while effectively moving traffic through the corridor. So the first section is from Latham Avenue to Windsor Drive, and in that section you'll have two southbound lanes, a median that goes down the middle of the road and two northbound lanes. And then there's a small section from Windsor Drive to Sherwood Drive that stays five lanes, just like today. And then the section from Sherwood Drive to College Park West Drive is one southbound lane, a center two way left turn lane and two northbound lanes. I think we want people understand that this the design isn't a one size fits all that we've looked at the different portions of Cable Road through the corridor, and we've designed it so that we can move traffic efficiently but still improve safety and reduce accidents.”
Kohli emphasized that the project design varies along different portions of the corridor to balance traffic efficiency with safety improvements. Traffic counts used in the study were collected in late 2023, after volumes returned to normal following the COVID-19 pandemic.
City officials say more information, including detailed drawings and plans, is available on the City of Lima’s website under the Public Works tab. They encourage the public to review the materials and stay informed as the project progresses.
