BRUNSWICK, Ohio — For years now, News 5 has been following every twist and turn in this proposed interstate project. Families in Brunswick and Strongsville are fighting to keep their homes and neighborhoods from becoming an off-ramp on Interstate 71.
In March 2023, language was added to the Ohio State transportation budget to mandate an interchange every 4.5 miles on highways, paving the way for an interchange near Boston Road.
Now, the families affected are worried time is running out. Senate Bill 155 could halt the project by repealing the language in the transportation budget and replacing it with a study from the Northeast Ohio Coordinating Agency (NOACA).
Senate Bill 155 passed the Senate on June 30 to 1. Recently, it passed unanimously through a house committee. Now, the bill is waiting for a vote in the House.
"We thought our Christmas gift this year would be the passing of this bill so that we could keep our house and we wouldn't have to have another Christmas with worry," said Sherri Hamm of Strongsville.
"Right now, this bill is at the finish line, and it just needs to go up for a vote," said Brunswick Vice Mayor Nick Hanek.
"Countless people have worked day and night away from their families, time away from their homes. Emails, testimonies, trips to Columbus," said Betsy Sanzotta of Brunswick.
If the bill is not voted on before the end of the year, the grassroots group "Homes not Highways" has to start all over again.
"My kids would cry about this, knowing that I've told them that we might have to move, and when they finally got that relief that we're going to be good, we love our friends, we love our neighborhood, I haven't even told them yet that there's a possibility that this might still go through," said Jeff Moulden, of Brunswick.
State Representative Tom Patton of Strongsville said he understands the frustration of the homeowners. Patton said he is waiting to see the outcome of a House vote on the bill, but the power to bring it to the floor lies with the House speaker.
"We're not going to stop. They have a fight on their hands. We're going to keep going," Moulden said.
