Recordpub.com - Detours sought for S.R. 59 ODOT to close portion for 3 weeks for work

By Mike Sever

Record-Courier staff writer

The temporary closing of a portion of S.R. 59 in Franklin Township has bus riders as well as motorists looking for alternate routes.

Starting Monday, ODOT is to close a 1,500-foot-long section of S.R. 59 east of S.R. 261. The road will be closed for at least 21 work days.

Because of the closure, the Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority is adding a transfer shuttle at the Meadowview Square shopping center. The change will cause the Ravenna-Kent route to take about 10 minutes longer than before, said Joseph Yensel, PARTA's operations manager.

"There's no real easy way to get from Kent to Ravenna without Route 59. It doesn't leave us with much of an option."

PARTA's regular route will run as scheduled, but passengers will have to transfer to a shuttle van for the trip between the shopping center and the C-Midway stop in Kent.

The official ODOT detour uses S.R. 261, I-76 and S.R. 44.

PARTA plans to use Powdermill Road to Summit to S.R. 261 for its shuttle.

The shuttle's detour is expected to add 10 minutes to the trip between Ravenna and Kent. Yensel said drivers will try to minimize any mismatches on catching buses for other routes out of C-Midway caused by the longer trip times.

Fares for the trip will remain unchanged, and there will be no additional charge for the shuttle service, said Brian Trautman, PARTA's director of maintenance and operations.

Trautman said PARTA recognizes the closing and longer shuttle ride may cause inconvenience for riders.

He recommended people with specific needs that won't be met by the change should call the PARTA scheduling department to get a demand ride. The department's number is 330-678-1287.

Trautman estimated the detour will affect some 2,000 rides a day. There will be no impact on schedules in Kent, the Suburban or Interurban routes.

Check the PARTA Web site at www.partaonline.org for more information.