Coventry Township intersection continues to see reduced crashes following 2014 safety improvements

AKRON – The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) takes seriously the trust Ohioans put in the Department to spend their tax dollars wisely. While ODOT has always had safety projects at the top of our priority list, the recent increase in safety funding from the state transportation bill has allowed us to complete even more projects annually.

ODOT’s Highway Safety program helps fund projects that improve safety for drivers, riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians not only on ODOT-maintained roadways, but roads maintained by local governments as well.

For example, when a section of State Route 93 (Manchester Rd.) between Proehl Ave. and Linda Dr. in Summit County’s Coventry Township had 93 crashes in a three-year period engineers began to look at what could be done to improve safety. Crash data revealed that more than 76% of the crashes were rear-end collisions.

Due to the crash pattern, it was determined that widening the roadway from three to five lanes and adding left turn lanes in all directions at the intersection of SR 93 and Robinson Ave. would be the appropriate countermeasure to reduce congestion and improve safety in this section.

The project was constructed and completed in December 2014. To compare, crash data between 2021 and 2023 shows this stretch of roadway has seen a 26% decrease in the total number of crashes and a 62% decrease in the number of rear-end collisions. The data also showed a 67% decrease in the number of serious injury crashes.

“This project is a prime example of the department finding a solution to improve safety in an area that once saw a high number of crashes,” said District 4 Deputy Director Gery Noirot. “Any investment that can be made to reduce crashes and improve safety is incredibly important and aligns with our agency’s mission.”