Construction of a 148,000 square foot COSTCO store with a 16 Pump Service Station and a 700 Car Parking Lot is underway, with opening slated for the second half of 2015. As the COSTCO Store will generate up to 490 trips in the evening peak hour, with a significant amount of COSTCO Traffic traveling through the State Route 25 & Eckel Junction Road Intersection, the City of Perrysburg contracted with Proudfoot Associates, Inc. to determine the necessary improvements to the intersection and to design the subsequent construction plans.
Read the Toledo Blade’s article here.
The intersection already reaches congestion levels in the evening. Proudfoot not only took into effect the COSTCO traffic, but also potential residential development to the east on Eckel Junction Road and potential commercial development to the West, in the evaluation of the needed intersection improvements.
Proudfoot also included an annual traffic volume growth of 1.4% over the next 20 year period in their analysis. As a result of this analysis, existing turn lanes were lengthened; a second northbound to westbound left turn lane and a second westbound to southbound left turn lane were added, and westbound to northbound and southbound to westbound right-turn lanes were added. Upgraded traffic signalization was also included. The improvements required additional right-of-way to be acquired from four properties at a cost of $186,493 .
The Project was bid on May 22, 2014 with Miller Brothers Construction being the low bidder at $1,260,867.55. Work started in Mid-July and will be completed by December 15, 2014. The improvements necessitated several utility companies to relocate their facilities, including Toledo Edison, Columbia Gas, AT&T, Columbia Gas Transmission, Buckeye CableSystem and Time-Warner. As of this date, the project is 90% completed and ahead of schedule.