Akron is looking to make big changes to the busy intersection of East Market Street, Canton Road and Robindale Avenue.
Noting a high number of crashes there, the city has hired the GDP Group to study the area and make recommendations, with an eye toward beginning construction in 2020.
Akron already has secured funding for the estimated $4.5 million project — whatever it may involve.
“It could be widening. It could be angling. It could possibly be a roundabout,” said Chris Ludle, the city’s deputy director of public service. “But there’s nothing definite yet.”
The intersection has been ranked the 87th worst for crashes in Summit County by the Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study. More than 11,000 vehicles a day use the roadways there, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.
Whatever option the city chooses, the project will likely involve acquiring surrounding land. Property owners have received a letter from Akron noting that the city may need to take their property.
Houses sit on two corners of the intersection, while an apartment building and a Walgreens pharmacy occupy the other two.
A meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. April 19 at the Ellet Branch Library, 2470 E. Market St., to talk about the project.
Many neighbors already are upset.
Ed and Karen Dunn said they poured $15,000 into their two-story home at the northeast corner of Canton and Robindale over the last year.
The work included central air, a marble bathtub and windows.
They are angry that the city didn’t alert them earlier to the project. In fact, they said, the city wasn’t the first to let them know.
They received a letter in the mail from the Columbus law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP in late February notifying them that the city was looking to take their property and asking to represent them.
“I figure I’m gone,” Ed Dunn, 69, said about his house.
Karen Dunn, 62, is more fiery, accusing city officials of being negligent for not saying anything sooner.
“I can’t sleep. I can’t eat,” she said.
The Dunns are now looking for a new house and may rent out their home.
“It’s just the uncertainty,” Ed Dunn said.
City Councilman Bob Hoch, who represents the area, agreed that the residents should have been notified sooner and was disappointed they learned about it from a Columbus law firm.
“It was like somebody came up and sucker punched them and then ran,” he said.
Hoch said he learned about the potential for a roundabout last year but was told that any discussion was preliminary.
He questioned whether a roundabout is needed and isn’t happy about the potential of homes being razed for the project.
Resident Keith Anderson, 51, who lives on East Market and received a letter from the city, said there are plenty of ways to fix the problem without building a roundabout.
His recommendations include turning some streets into one way.
He also said the accidents are more the result of people not paying attention while driving — whether they are texting or talking on the phone.
“At the end of the day, a roundabout isn’t going to fix stupid,” Anderson said.
A roundabout also would be difficult for schoolchildren to navigate as they walk to school, he said.
“If I thought a roundabout would solve the issue and not endanger anyone, I would be all for it,” Anderson said.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @armonrickABJ .