NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) - The Tuscarawas County Commissioners are deciding whether federal funding will be needed to alleviate safety concerns on part of Dover-Zoar Road.

Commissioner Joe Sciarretti says a three-year safety study conducted by OMEGA found that the small hill leading up to the intersection with Schneider’s Crossing and Froman Hill Road reduces visibility for drivers. Sciarretti says eliminating the problem could help reduce the number of crashes on that road. 

“The roads coming up to that intersection, which would be Schneider’s and Froman Hill, maybe that would be raised up. So one side of it would be Dover-Zoar Road would be lowered and then Schneider’s Crossing would be raised up and then there’d be a greater line of site,” he says.

But Sciarretti says the county loses control over the project once federal money comes into play, so he wants to make sure everyone is onboard first.

“If we’re able to have the property owners vie into and give them a voice that goes into the mitigation efforts, I’d just ask for a little bit more time for that,” he says.

Sciarretti says the safety study found there were four major accidents, including one fatality, in that area over a three year period. 

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