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Brunswick Official Urges Repeal of Statute Forcing Interchange at Boston Road, Backs Broader ODOT/NOACA Study
Summary
Nicholas Hanick, president of Brunswick City Council, told the Senate Transportation Committee that Ohio Revised Code 5501.6 mandates an unwarranted interchange location and urged lawmakers to repeal the statute while keeping a mandated, broader ODOT/NOACA traffic study for the region in House Bill 54.
Nicholas Hanick, president of the Brunswick City Council and vice mayor of Brunswick, told the Senate Transportation Committee he supports repeal of Ohio Revised Code 5501.6 and asked the committee to keep language in House Bill 54 that mandates a comprehensive Northeast Ohio traffic study by NOACA and ODOT.
"Ohio Revised Code 5501.6 is an arbitrary formula without any known scientific or engineering basis that will impose a highway interchange where the data has conclusively shown it is unwarranted," Hanick said, recounting residents’ testimony about home displacement and property impacts tied to a mandated Boston Road interchange proposal.
Why it matters: Hanick said the mandatory interchange formula would require construction at a specific location even though preliminary engineering studies — including a 2023 preliminary feasibility study by Strongsville — and ODOT review concluded a Boston Road interchange would not improve congestion or safety at the nearby Route 82/Howe Road area. Hanick warned that leaving the statute in place would undermine a broader regionwide study and preordain a fixed outcome.
Details from testimony
- Hanick said the 2023 Strongsville preliminary feasibility study concluded a Boston Road interchange would not improve congestion, could slow traffic on I‑71, and would not resolve the Route 82/Howe Road problems. ODOT, he said, reviewed that study and recommended a broader regional study.
- He said the broader study mandated by the repeal bills and included in current House language would be conducted by NOACA (the Northeastern Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency) and ODOT, covering a larger area north of the currently studied location to identify actionable congestion‑relief options.
- Hanick asked the committee to retain the repeal language for Ohio Revised Code 5501.6 and the study mandate in House Bill 54 so professional engineers and planners can evaluate regional solutions rather than conforming to a statutory mandate for a single interchange location.
Questions and clarifications
Committee members asked about earlier municipal master plans and prior public discussions. Hanick said an updated 2020 comprehensive plan for Brunswick does not include the Boston Road interchange and that the 2023 feasibility study data are conclusive. He also said Medina County officials and several local jurisdictions filed testimony in favor of repeal.
What the testimony did not include
No formal committee action or vote on repeal language or the study mandate was recorded during the hearing. Representatives of Strongsville and NOACA did not testify in this excerpt.
Ending
Hanick asked senators to rely on data and professional analysis and to include the repeal of Ohio Revised Code 5501.6 and the mandated NOACA/ODOT regional study in House Bill 54 so a data‑driven solution can be found for congestion in the greater Route 82 corridor.
