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State grants awarded to upgrade 2 intersections

By David Skolnick 2 min read

The Ohio Department of Transportation awarded two grants to Trumbull County for a roundabout in Braceville and reduced collision U-turn lanes at a Southington intersection.

The project in Braceville is getting a $5.61 million grant while the Southington one will receive $2.54 million.

The Braceville project, to be done in 2032, would create a roundabout at the intersection of state Routes 5 and 534.

Crash data from ODOT listed 28 crashes at the intersection between 2021 and 2025 with three people dying in accidents there.

A motorcyclist was killed in an August 2025 crash and two people were killed in a three-vehicle crash in September 2021 at that intersection.

The Southington project, to be done in 2030, at the intersection of U.S. Route 422 and state Route 305 is for the construction of reduced collision U-turns (RCUT) lanes.

ODOT data shows there were 28 crashes at that intersection between 2021 and 2024 with two fatalities.

A woman was killed in November in a two-car crash at that intersection while another fatality occurred in November 2023 there. In the 2023 crash, a Sharpsville, Pa., man was convicted of aggravated vehicular homicide and operating a vehicle under the influence.

RCUT lanes are designed to eliminate left turn and straight through movements at dangerous intersections along a limited access highway where traffic tends to travel at higher speeds, according to ODOT. Medians are removed at those intersections, which force motorists to turn right, then travel several hundred feet and turn around at a safe location, according to ODOT.

The two projects were among 33 announced Thursday by ODOT as receiving $72 million in funding through the Highway Safety Improvement Program.

The awards included 13 intersection safety projects, including the two in Trumbull, for a total of $46.8 million and 20 pedestrian and roadway departure projects, totaling $25.3 million.

ODOT Director Pamela Boratyn said: "Every single investment we make in our transportation network is an investment in the safety of the people who use it. Dedicating millions of dollars to both state and local roads reflects our unwavering commitment to a data-driven approach that fixes problematic corridors and redesigns intersections to save lives."

The ODOT program addresses road locations with a history of fatal or injury crashes where other safety improvements have not been effective.

Gov. Mike DeWine said: "These projects target the types of crashes that are most likely to result in death or serious injury. By investing in proven safety countermeasures, we're making our transportation system safer for everyone."

Starting at /week.