Agency, community leaders seek state Route 8 re-designation

The Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (AMATS) - acting in concert with several mayors whose communities are located along the state Route 8 corridor and the Summit County Executive and Engineer – sent a formal request to Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Director Jerry Wray, Monday, urging that the route be re-designated as Interstate 380.

AMATS Director Jason Segedy says that the transportation planning agency initially proposed the idea in late October.  The proposal has received widespread media coverage which has revealed broad support for the proposal.  Segedy notes that re-designating state Route 8 makes sense as ODOT recently upgraded the route to a limited-access, multi-lane freeway.   

“State Route 8 is 18 miles long and carries 120,000 vehicles per day.  It’s a lifeline between Akron and Cleveland and a link to four major interstates.  By way of comparison, Interstate 277 in Akron is only one-quarter of its length, carries half of the traffic, and connects with two interstates, and I-277 doesn’t extend beyond the city of Akron.  State Route 8 does,” Segedy says.

One of the oldest state routes in Ohio, state Route 8 is a ribbon of asphalt and concrete that links Akron, Cuyahoga Falls, Stow, Hudson, Boston Heights and Macedonia.  It also connects those communities to Interstates 76, 77, 80 (Ohio Turnpike) and 271 and provides Summit County with easy access to Cleveland’s eastern suburbs.  The prominent role that state Route 8 plays in the daily lives of nearby residents and businesses is one of the reasons that mayors within the SR 8 corridor and county officials joined AMATS in seeking interstate status, according to Segedy.  

Among the signatories to the agency’s letter to ODOT were:

·   Summit County Engineer, Alan Brubaker

·   Hudson Mayor, William Currin

·   Stow Mayor, Sara Drew

·   Village of Boston Heights Mayor, Bill Goncy

·   Macedonia Mayor, Don Kuchta

·   Akron Mayor, Don Plusquellic

·   Summit County Executive, Russ Pry

·   AMATS Director, Jason Segedy

·   Cuyahoga Falls Mayor, Don Walters

“We are excited about partnering with ODOT on what we see as an low-cost and innovative solution for improving our region’s transportation system and providing new economic development opportunities,” Segedy adds.

Copies of the agency’s letter to Wray and a summary detailing the proposal accompany this item.  For additional information, please contact Jason Segedy at 330-375-2436 or by email at JSegedy@AkronOhio.gov.