Would help traffic flow from Solida Road to U.S. 52

SOUTH POINT — The county is looking into improving traffic flow in and out of South Point onto U.S. 52.

The Lawrence County Transportation Improvement District has released a new study that supports a fixing of the interchanges of intersections on Solida Road, U.S. 52, the eastbound ramps and Collins Avenue into a single roundabout.

In October, the Lawrence County Commissioners authorized county engineer Patrick Leighty to sign the LPA Agreement for the improvements. The project is estimated to cost about $1.6 million. It does not yet have a start date.

The problem is that a combination of closely spaced intersections along Solida Road in the interchange area and heavy traffic along Collins Avenue makes for undesirable traffic operations.

The state has been studying the problem since at least 2013 in an effort to improve the traffic flow on the interchange because of increased vehicle traffic to the nearby The Point industrial park.

“To improve the traffic flow caused by the additional trucks and vehicles coming in and out of the South Point park.

The study proposes creating a single lane, combined roundabout that includes Collins Avenue, the eastbound U.S. 52 ramps, and Solida Road roadways.

The eastbound U.S. 52 exit ramp, in addition to an approach intersecting Collins Avenue, will have a westbound bypass lane to Collins Avenue.

A loon, which is pavement outside of the normal traffic lanes to allow for larger vehicles to safely make a U-turn on a divided roadway, will be constructed to accommodate residential traffic from westbound traffic on Collins Avenue, destined for Conley Street.