This illustration shows various concepts under consideration for segment 6 (Pennsylvania Avenue to Coover Road) as outlined in the Route 23 Connect study.
Courtesy | ODOT
The Ohio Department of Transportation has just released its comments to public responses regarding the U.S. Route 23 Connect project.
Gazette readers will recall that ODOT held six in-person and two online meetings for the public this summer to go over recommendations for the project area, Route 23 from Waldo to Interstate 270. This area was split into seven different segments, each with potential improvements.
Route 23 is heavily used, not just by commuters, shoppers, and travelers, but by truckers as well. With projects such as the Gordie Howe Bridge connecting Canada and the United States, more goods will be shipped using Route 23 to distribution centers in central and southern Ohio. The 23 Connect project takes into account “traffic, population, land use, and employment forecasts for the year 2050,” based on data by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, ODOT said. Also consulted were the school districts and representatives from Delaware, Franklin and Marion counties.
The Comment Response to the Route 23 Connect project is a 31-page document with 135 questions. A point of emphasis is there would be no Columbus-to-Toledo bypass, with ODOT saying it wasn’t feasible “due to high costs and impacts.” In addition, no roundabouts are being proposed in the study area’s intersections.
After addressing many general questions about traffic, safety, environmental considerations, property acquisition and right-of-way, economic development and land use, and other types of transportation in the first 20 pages, the Comment Response turns to the seven segments. There’s a summary of comments, with members of the public saying which concept they preferred or keeping the segment as-is.
Here’s a brief summary of the comments for the segments:
• The first segment, starting at I-270, is split into north and south. Some commenters suggested southbound express lanes starting after Flint Road. For the north, there was “concern that the removal of the Windsong Way/Highbluffs Boulevard signal will increase travel times for residents and for emergency services.”
• Segment two starts at Green Meadows Drive and goes north to Parkway Drive. While some did not want impacts to Highbanks Metro Park, others wanted full access to and from U.S. 23 at the park.
• The third segment includes emergency providers Orange Township Fire Station 361, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, OhioHealth and the Mount Carmel Lewis Center Emergency Room. “If an I-71/Big Walnut Road interchange is constructed, it could increase traffic demand on Home Road,” ODOT said, noting the study assumes the interchange will be built.
• Segment four includes Shanahan Road and the Worthington Arms subdivision. Among the comments were to put a left turn signal at Hyatts and Shanahan roads for Olentangy Local Schools buses, widening the segment to three lanes, and impacts to Preservation Parks in the area.
• The fifth segment is from state Route 315 to U.S. Route 42. The comments included concerns about Stratford Road, Hull Drive, and the Stratford Ecological Center.
• Segment six starts at Pennsylvania Avenue and heads north to Coover Road. Comments included impacts to Coover Road, Pennsylvania Avenue and Oakhaven Golf Course.
• The final segment goes past State Route 229 to Waldo. Improvements suggested for this segment by the public included Norton Road, a train underpass, and installing “dedicated turn lanes on U.S. 23 to Wiley Road and Penry Road.”
ODOT has said 23 Connect was still in the study phase, and an action plan would be released next year.
To see the full Comment Response, or for more information, visit publicinput.com/23connect.
Assistant Editor Gary Budzak covers the eastern half of Delaware County and surrounding areas. He can be reached at 740-413-0906.
