Malvern Rotary hear update on proposed U.S. Route 30 extension

Carroll County Commissioner Robert Wirkner gave the Rotary Club of Malvern a presentation March 23 on the proposed Route 30 connector from Carrollton to Canton.

The connector is part of a plan announced in 2016 to extend Route 30 from Canton to Route 11 in Lisbon, creating a four-lane highway to Pittsburgh. The project was promoted by state Rep. Kirk Schuring before his death in 2024. Wirkner said part of the rationale for the connector is Carroll County’s population decline from 30,000 to 26,000 since the 2000 census.

Without intervention, Wirkner said, it is unlikely that decline will change soon. He said the county has a growing retirement-age and low-income population, and both are affected by the lack of a nearby hospital. Carroll County has two urgent care centers for emergency medical care, along with dental and eye care providers, he said.

According to a state review, many working families are employed outside Carroll County and spend up to two hours each day traveling poor roads to and from Canton or other areas for work. Wirkner said many accidents on state Route 43 are caused by cars and trucks slowing for vehicles making left turns on the two-lane highway, where the speed limit is 55 mph.

“These traffic issues could all be changed by a super-two highway — a three-lane highway with a turn lane in the center, as well as increased width on both shoulders for those pulling off. Currently we are part of an Regional Transportation Improvement Project, giving us greater control in this connector plan apart from the overall Route 30 project,” Wirkner said.

He said funding has been secured for an investigative study that will allow ODOT engineers to prepare a plan to be presented in July. Another change in the overall project, he said, is the potential involvement of private investors along with state and federal funding.

In a side discussion, Wirkner also answered questions about a proposed 1,300-megawatt generation project by the energy company that built the 800-megawatt gas-powered steam turbine outside Carrollton.

“This new generator will be an improved design to be quieter,” he said.