COLUMBUS, Ohio — The cities of Strongsville and Brunswick have long been rivals on the playing fields of Northeast Ohio.
That rivalry has now spread all the way to the Ohio General Assembly, with the future of an interchange on I-71 in Medina County at stake.
On Thursday, Ohio House Asst. Majority Whip Sharon Ray (R-Wadsworth), State Rep. Melanie Miller (R-Ashland), and State Senator Mark Romanchuk (R-Ontario) held a news conference to announce new legislation that would end a requirement that an interchange be constructed on Boston Road in Brunswick near its border with Strongsville.
Officials in Strongsville have long pushed for an interchange on I-71 between Route 82 and Route 303 to help ease traffic congestion. At the end of March, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed a $13.5 billion transportation budget that included inserted language from Rep. Tom Patton (R-Strongsville) requiring that the Ohio Department of Transportation "ensure that limited access exit and entrance ramps to interstate highways exist at least every 4.5 miles in adjacent municipal corporations."
The exits on I-71 at routes 82 and 303 are approximately six miles away from each other.
Ray, Miller, and Romanchuk want to eliminate that provision from the transportation budget amid fears from residents who would lose their homes to make room for the interchange.
"Boston Road is not fit for an interchange like this,” said Miller. “We would have to destroy homes, level a hilly road that is unfit to carry highway traffic, and for that to be in statue is not right. This interchange is bad for Brunswick and was forced upon the residents and that is why I am pushing for this legislation to repeal the interchange.”
The three state lawmakers were joined at the briefing by residents and city leaders from Brunswick, dressed in blue "Homes Not Highways" shirts.
"This proposed interchange was the result of one community – Strongsville – trying to legislate a neighboring community – Brunswick – to fix a problem they created,” Ray added. "This interchange is bad for Brunswick and all of Medina County for financial and safety reasons, and is just bad policy overall.”
3News has reached out to Rep. Patton for comment and will post any updates in this story.
