AUSTINTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – Traffic changes are coming to one of the main roads into Austintown.

State leaders plan to convert the intersection of state Route 46 and New Road to a roundabout.

Austintown will get one of 17 new roundabouts in Ohio. Governor Mike DeWine announced the program earlier this week.

“We’re going to receive about $2.2 million to construct a roundabout at that intersection there — state Route 46 and New Road, so where we’re at now is we have to begin the design phase of that,” said Ohio Department of Transportation District 4 spokesman Justin Chesnic.

According to state leaders, roundabouts reduce crashes by nearly 80% compared to intersections with traffic signals. Currently, it is a four-way intersection with traffic lights.

“What we found in this area over a five-year study from 2016 to 2021 is there were about 45 crashes at that intersection, and of that, 45 crashes just under 50% involved injury,” Chesnic said.

The Associated School Employees Credit Union sits right at the intersection. CEO Michael Kurish has worked there since 1985 and said more recently, there has been a considerable amount of traffic that goes through the area.

He weighed in on the proposed changes.

“Well, I don’t know how I feel about it yet because I haven’t seen a plan. I find it kind of surprising that they got that much money approved for a project that they don’t have a plan for,” he said.

He said he is unsure about the effect that it may have on his business.

“We have several curb cuts located on New Road and 46 that our members depend on to be able to get in and out of our facility,” he said.

The credit union is the only commercial business in the area, but ODOT plans to get input from everyone impacted.

“What we’ll do is we’ll have stakeholder meetings. We’ll get the township involved, the county involved, and then any local business or residences that live in that corridor, we’ll kind of let them know, ‘Hey, this is how it’s going. This is what we’re designing. This is what it could potentially could look like,'” Chesnic said.

While planning is underway, don’t expect to drive the roundabout immediately. Leaders say construction will begin after July 2026.