SOLON, Ohio -- Drivers in Solon should prepare for major traffic changes beginning Tuesday (Aug. 19) as Phase 2 of the SOM Center Road reconstruction project gets under way.
Southbound lanes of SOM Center (Ohio 91) will be closed from Ada/Arthur drives to Linden Drive, with only northbound traffic permitted in this section during construction.
Passenger vehicles traveling south will be detoured from Aurora Road to Liberty Road, then to Pettibone Road.
Truck traffic will follow a separate route along Aurora Road to Ohio 82.
City officials emphasized that SOM Center south of Aurora Road will remain open, allowing access to Linden Drive and nearby shopping centers.
The SOM Center work comes as crews also advance the long-term Solon Road reconstruction.
On June 27, traffic patterns flipped along Solon Road between Aurora and Bainbridge roads, switching from one-way westbound to one-way eastbound.
Public Works Commissioner William Drsek said the change helps ease traffic for workers leaving the city’s industrial area.
“So the detour flipped,” Drsek said. “It was only open to westbound traffic on Solon Road, and this morning (June 27) they flipped it to eastbound traffic.
“So the people from the industrial area down by Cochran Road will have a much easier time going home instead of having to follow the detours from Aurora Road up to (Ohio) 91.”
Drsek said the city is paying the contractor extra to accelerate the work schedule, requiring crews to work five 10-hour days instead of the typical four days.
That change has moved the projected completion date of the Solon Road project ahead by about three weeks.
City Engineer John Busch said that, if weather holds, substantial completion could come by late September.
He noted that breaking the project into phases helps improve safety and minimize disruption.
“One was we didn’t want to have to change the traffic signals,” Busch said. “Then the other reason why we did it like this was instead of maintaining, say, two-way traffic, we did it this way, just for safety purposes.”
The city’s concrete repair program on SOM Center Road between Ada and Linden drives also remains under way.
During this phase, only northbound traffic will be allowed within the zone.
A detour remains in place to serve neighborhoods including Ada Drive, Hanover Woods, Southside Park, Liberty Hills and Meadow Estates.
The detour directs drivers south on SOM Center and back north using Pettibone Road, Liberty Road and Aurora Road.
This detour is expected to remain through Aug. 26, at which point crews will shift to the opposite side of the road to complete the remaining work.
Substantial completion of the SOM Center project is anticipated by Nov. 26, weather permitting.
City officials are urging motorists to allow extra travel time, follow posted detours and remain patient during the busy construction season.