Title
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION 410.01, SCHEDULE I, “EXISTING POSTED SPEED LIMITS,” OF THE TRAFFIC CODE TO LOWER THE SPEED LIMIT FROM 45 MILES PER HOUR TO 35 MILES PER HOUR ON HINES HILL ROAD BETWEEN THE WESTERN CORPORATION LINE TO PROSPECT STREET; AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
Brief Description: During the preliminary design of the Hines Hill Road Bridge project, it was determined that the speed limit along Hines Hill Road from the western corporation line to Prospect Street should be lowered from 45 mph to 35 mph.
Body
Legislative History
95-234 - Designating Speed Limits, Stop Intersections, No Parking, Yield, No Left Turns, Turn onto Prohibited, Handicap Parking, 3/6/1996
05-133 - Revise Posted Speed Limit on Ravenna Street from S. Hayden to Stow Road; Sullivan Road, and Stow Road from Norton Road to N. Corp., 9/21/2005
07-29, Revise Speed Limit on Ravenna Street between Stow Road and Stone Road, 4/18/2007
10-93 - Authorize Posting of School Zone Speed Limits in WRA Area, 8/4/2010
20-153 - Revise Speed Limit on Terex Road; 12/1/2020
24-5 Revise Speed Limit on Valley View Road; 1/16/2024
24-49 - Revise Speed Limit on E. Streetsboro; 5/21/2024
Purpose & Explanation
During the initial design phase of the upcoming Hines Hill Road bridge project, staff consulted the Ohio Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (OMUTCD) for various design elements. Regarding speed limits, the OMUTCD references Section 4511.21 of the Ohio Revised Code (ORC), which establishes statutory speed limits for local roads and dictates how they may be modified when an engineering study finds they don't suit the current road and traffic conditions.
ORC Section 4511.21 classifies Hines Hill Road as a "through highway," assigning it a prima facie speed limit of 35 mph. However, as part of the bridge project's design review, staff noted that the current posted speed limit along the Hudson section of Hines Hill Road is 45 mph, not the statutory 35 mph. Staff then reviewed available records and identified that in 1995, Hudson City Council voted to lower the speed limit along this section from 50 mph to 45 mph between the westerly corporation line and Prospect Street for safety reasons. Hines Hill Road from Prospect Street to SR 91 has a speed limit of 35 mph.
Staff reviewed the potential lowering of the speed limit with the Traffic Safety Committee, which concurred with the adjustment. Therefore, staff is recommending a further reduction of the speed limit along Hines Hill Road, from the westerly corporation line to Prospect Street, to 35 mph to comply with ORC 4511.21.
An emergency clause is being requested for the safety of the traveling public.
Legal Authority for Proposed Legislation
Pursuant to Charter Section 6.04, Contracts & Purchasing:
Competitively bid and advertised for two consecutive weeks
Joint or Cooperative Purchase Program
Professional Services
X Other
Fiscal Impact
Currently Budgeted
Supplemental Appropriation Required
X Appropriation Not Required
Does this legislation require use of an emergency clause?
X Yes
No
Recommendation
Suggested Action
The City staff recommends that the speed limit be lowered from 45 mph to 35 mph on Hines Hill Road from the western corporation line to Prospect Street. An emergency clause is being requested for the safety of the traveling public.
Submitted by,
Thomas J. Sheridan, City Manager
Brian Griffith, Assistant City Manager
Bradley S. Kosco, PE, PS, City Engineer
Jonathon Szalay, PE, Senior Engineer