December 2, 200915 yr Short-term improvements recommended for Olentangy-Linworth Monday, November 30, 2009 - 11:28 PM By Gary Seman Jr., ThisWeek Staff Writer An independent review has affirmed what the Franklin County Engineer's Office had already concluded: A roundabout is the best long-term fix at Linworth and Olentangy River roads. In the meantime, an assessment team of three engineers has recommended a number of low-cost safety improvements to the Y-shaped intersection, many of which would include upgrades to pavement markings and street signs to keep motorists attentive, and the trimming of foliage that could hamper visibility. The team also has suggested constructing a low-cost "T" connection at the intersection by paving over the existing island. Additional upgrades would have to made, as well, the report said. Interim fixes will be assessed for the next couple of months to determine their effectiveness, Franklin County Engineer Dean Ringle said. Meanwhile, the roundabout is not off the table, he said. Full story at http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/worthington/stories/2009/11/24/Olentangy-Linworth.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=104
December 3, 200915 yr I-71 rest areas closed until spring for improvements Thursday, December 3, 2009 3:17 AM By Bonnie Butcher THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS Read more in ThisWeek Community Newspapers' 23 editions and at ThisWeekNews.com.Rest areas along both sides of I-71 in Delaware County will be closed for renovations until April 14. Brian Hedge, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Transportation, said the work is part of a $2.9 million project to renovate eight rest areas along Ohio highways. The others are in Madison, Miami and Logan counties. Full story at: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/12/03/thisweek03_ART_12-03-09_B5_86FSID8.html?sid=10
January 19, 201015 yr From http://www.franklincountyengineer.org/construction_projects.htm Ten in 2010 Construction Project List Managed by the Franklin County Engineer's Office Current - Alkire Road Reconstruction and Railroad Overpass Replacement - Alum Creek Drive and Rohr Road Intersection Improvement - Alum Creek Drive Widening and Reconstruction - Central College Road Bridge Rehabilitation - Clime Road Widening and Reconstruction, Phase I - Clime Road Widening and Reconstruction. Phase II - Dublin-Granville Road Bridge Rehabilitation - Reynoldsburg-New Albany Road and Morse Road Roundabout Construction - Schirtzinger Road Pavement and Drainage Improvements - West Main Street Bridge Replacement Future (in the design phase) - Alkire Road Bridge deck widening, over Big Darby Creek, to accommodate a Metro Parks trail - Alton & Darby Creek Road and Roberts Road East and West intersection improvements - Dodridge Street Bridge replacement, over the Olentangy River - Franklin County ARRA Resurfacing Program, Phase II on various county roads - Groveport Road realignment and overpass construction at Alum Creek Drive - Hamilton Road reconstruction and widening, from Clark State Road to Johnstown Road - Kunz Road Culvert replacement, over Hellbranch Run - Livingston Avenue Bridge replacement, over Big Walnut Creek - Noe-Bixby Road and Chatterton Road intersection improvement - Pontius Road Culvert replacement, south of Hayes Road over Muddy Run
January 19, 201015 yr Parkway widening awarded state funds Monday, January 11, 2010 - 4:32 PM By Jennifer Noblit, ThisWeek Staff Writer The state is kicking in funds for a nearly $7.8-million project to widen Emerald Parkway between Tuttle Crossing Boulevard and Rings Road, the city of Dublin announced Monday. The city learned last month that the project, estimated to cost $7,755,155, would receive a $4,373,647 grant from the Ohio Public Works Commission. The Emerald Parkway improvements are a joint project between Columbus and Dublin; 60 percent of the project area is in Columbus and 40 percent is in Dublin. Dublin will pay $1,352,603 of the project costs, and Columbus will pay $2,028,905. Currently, the stretch of Emerald Parkway between Tuttle Crossing Boulevard and Rings Road is two or three lanes, depending on the area. The project will widen the road to a four-lane boulevard. Full article at http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/dublin/stories/2010/01/06/Emerald-Parkway-widening.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=104
February 3, 201015 yr ODOT OKs 71-665 interchange project for October start Thursday, January 28, 2010 - 5:54 PM By Evan Brooks ThisWeek Staff Writer The Ohio Department of Transportation on Jan. 28 approved accelerated construction of Grove City's $34.7-million project to overhaul the Interstate 71-state Route 665 interchange. The project will upgrade the 50-year-old infrastructure to a single-point urban interchange. Construction is expected to start in October and be finished by the end of 2011, city officials said. Full article at http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/grovecity/stories/2010/01/27/interchange-work.html?sid=104
April 6, 201015 yr It's "traffic calming", but whatever. It's the Dispatch. Traffic calmers lead to stress for some North Linden residents feel speed deterrents are a hazard Friday, January 29, 2010 3:17 AM By Elizabeth Gibson THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The "traffic-calming" islands the city installed in North Linden in the fall to slow down traffic have left many of the neighborhood's residents anything but calm. "They're ugly, they're dangerous and they need to go," said Jim Trimmer, who lives on Norris Drive. City officials say residents asked for and love the new speed deterrents, but residents who packed an impromptu meeting on Tuesday say they hate them. The opposition, with less than a day's notice, rounded up 60 neighbors at 4 p.m. on a weekday to speak to The Dispatch. more: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/01/29/traffic_calming.ART_ART_01-29-10_B1_13GEIHT.html?sid=101
April 8, 201015 yr Instead of ticketing motorists making illegal left-hand turns, let's spend $380,000 to make them happy. What about using that for raised medians along High to make it safer for pedestrians? Left-turn-lane plan irritates many in Clintonville Wednesday, April 7, 2010 2:52 AM By Mark Ferenchik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH After months of meetings, grandiose plans for multimillion-dollar roundabouts and protest ribbons tied around Clintonville trees, Columbus plans to install a left-turn lane at E. North Broadway onto southbound High Street. That's making many residents unhappy. Very unhappy. "It's wrongheaded," said Gus DiNovo, 61, a lifetime Clintonville resident who has lived on E. North Broadway since 1985. "It doesn't alleviate a damn thing. They should leave it as is." But city officials say they needed a solution, and the turn lane was the least-expensive option at $380,000. The left-turn lane will cut down on backups that occur when someone tries to make an illegal left turn onto High Street, said Boyce Safford III, the city's development director. It also will reduce the number of motorists cutting down side streets in the neighborhood to avoid the intersection, he said. more And here's my email to Mr. Safford III. According to this Dispatch article you want to spend nearly $400,000 to placate law-breaking motorists. So, instead of ticketing motorists making illegal left-hand turns, let's spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to make them happy. What about enforcing the "No Left Turn" lane (like the police should be doing already) to generate some revenue for the city from tickets, dissuade others from doing so likewise therefore largely eliminating the cause of traffic jams here, and instead use that $380,000 for curb bumpouts and raised medians along High in South Clintonville (south of N Broadway) to make it safer and easier for pedestrian mobility? Such treatment on select areas of N High in this stretch of Clintonville would make the business district more attractive for passersby, customers, business owners, and developers. There's a great example of this that you should check out on Gay St. That's just north of Broad and east of N High. What spin-off economic development is this proposed left-turn lane going to bring? And painting those sharrows for bikes sooner than later would be nice too. This money needs to be allocated to encourage a few more people to not use cars because less motorized vehicle traffic = less cars on the road. Adding lanes, as you should well know, tends to have the opposite effect of inducing traffic rather than reducing traffic. I hope you reconsider spending such money on an unnecessary project, especially in this economy. Keith
April 27, 201015 yr ODOT to add lane to stretch of I-70 in Clark County By Matt Sanctis, Staff Writer Updated 2:43 PM Tuesday, April 27, 2010 SPRINGFIELD — Beginning this summer, the Ohio Department of Transportation will start a project that will add a lane to a heavily-traveled stretch of Interstate 70 in Clark County. Rex Dickey, District 7 deputy director for ODOT, said construction will begin in June for a project that will add one lane to the interstate from Ohio 72 to U.S. 40, giving drivers three lanes of traffic on both eastbound and westbound I-70. “We recognize how important I-70 is to Clark County, to the city of Springfield, to the whole region,” Dickey said. The project is estimated to cost about $26 million, although Dickey said ODOT still needs to seek bids. Construction is expected to be complete in fall of 2011. Full story at: http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/odot-to-add-lane-to-stretch-of-i-70-in-clark-county-674549.html
May 27, 201015 yr Rickenbacker connector options narrowed as cash hunt continues Business First of Columbus - by Adrian Burns Thursday, May 27, 2010, 8:00am EDT Traffic congestion has been building around Rickenbacker International Airport for years, but a badly needed valve to relieve the highway pressure is moving closer to construction. Using a $500,000 federal earmark from 2007, the Pickaway County Engineer’s Office has narrowed the options for a truck route connecting the southern Rickenbacker area to Route 23, and it is expected to pick a route by the end of the year. The county then will begin designing the road with construction by 2013 or 2014, if officials can secure the more than $40 million that likely will be needed to build it. The proposed connector has in just a few years gone from a wish to a proposal with plenty of support. That’s good news for Rickenbacker proponents considering traffic likely will surge when the economy picks up, said Robin Holderman, vice president of real estate for the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, which manages the freight airport and is co-developing warehouses on the land it owns. MAP OF POSSIBLE RICKENBACKER CONNECTOR ROUTES Full article: http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2010/05/24/story10.html?b=1274673600^3391991
May 31, 201015 yr Residential Resurfacing on 2010 List. City finds cash to fix neighborhood roads By Mark Ferenchik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Last year, a consultant's study said 78 percent of the city's arterial streets and 48 percent of residential streets were in "poor" or "very poor" condition. The report said the city had underfunded its resurfacing programs since the early 1990s.http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/01/16/STREETS.ART_ART_01-16-10_B1_RGGALG5.html
July 16, 201014 yr Consultant recommends new 1-71 exit Friday, July 16, 2010 ANDREW TOBIAS A consultant has recommended that a new $50.2 million “Sunbury Parkway” exit be built south of the current Delaware Interstate 71 interchange to help address the current heavy congestion there. MS Consultants, hired by developer Pat Shively, also considered building an exit to the north of U.S. 36/Ohio 37, which would cost an estimated $7 million less. But, the southern exit option would be more useful to county residents since it would connect to the more-densely southern part of the county, according to a draft of the study. The project would require the construction of a proposed east-west “Sunbury Parkway” about a half-mile south of U.S. 36/Ohio 37, connecting from 3 B’s and K Road to about four miles eastward to the Cheshire Road/Donegal Road intersection near Sunbury. Full story at: http://www.delgazette.com/local.asp?ID=2099&Story=1
July 17, 201014 yr It is pretty unusual that all that spawl is not served by any nearby interstate interchange. With that said, just let 'em suffer I say.
July 20, 201014 yr Ohio Rail Development Commission • News Release 1980 West Broad Street • Columbus, Ohio 43223 http://www.dot.state.oh.us/ohiorail West Columbus Railroad Bridge Gets A Big Face Lift Camp Chase Railroad Bridge Over West Broad Street to be Rehabilitated Columbus (Friday, July 16, 2010) – A railroad bridge that’s a key link for growing business and jobs on Columbus’ West Side will soon also allow for safer passage of the cars, buses, bicycles and pedestrians who daily pass beneath it on West Broad Street. Work begins Wednesday, July 21st to rehabilitate the historic bridge into a fresh new gateway for West Columbus and a better structure for growing railroad business. Now carrying loads for 10.7 mile long Camp Chase Railroad, the bridge once carried the freight and passenger trains of the New York Central Railroad between Columbus and Cincinnati. Today, the shortened line serves as an important rail link for an ethanol plant, a newspaper printing plant and agribusinesses in West Columbus. “This project will alleviate possible safety concerns associated with the outer covering of the bridge and create a safe traveling environment for the public”, says Camp Chase Railroad President Jim Streett. “Camp Chase would like to thank the Ohio Rail Development Commission for their cooperation and assistance in making this project possible using the Federal Stimulus funds made available.” The project is slated to be complete within the year and carries a number of other benefits: reduced crew time by 717 hours a year for unit train service; reduced crew time for regular carload service by 1,400 hours per year; reduced derailment expenses; enable continued use of the entire line for heavier, 286,000 lb. rail cars; promote economic development to at least 6 development sites totaling 527 acres along the 10.7 mile segment; and promote increased business for Peavy Grain to serve the ethanol market while preserving the railroad’s unit train business by improving train speeds and track conditions. The $375,000 project is funded in part with $300,000 from the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The railroad will contribute the remaining $75,000 dollars in construction costs. That will include work to both the concrete and steel structure of the bridge, as well as painting and sealing to restore the bridge to its original appearance. Construction will create some temporary restrictions on traffic in both directions along West Broad Street where it passes beneath the bridge. The City of Columbus “Paving the Way” office says traffic will be maintained on one lane in each direction until the project is finished. At least one of the sidewalks will be maintained for pedestrian traffic during the project. ### The Ohio Rail Development Commission is an independent agency operating within the Ohio Department of Transportation. ORDC is responsible for economic development through the improvement and expansion of passenger and freight rail services and railroad grade crossing safety. For more information about what ORDC does for Ohio, visit our website at http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Rail . For more information contact: Stu Nicholson, ORDC Communications, at 614-644-0513
July 25, 201014 yr Main Street bridge - pretty, costly The price has climbed past $60 million Sunday, July 25, 2010 03:02 AM By Doug Caruso and Robert Vitale THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Nobody will remember how much the Main Street bridge cost in a generation or two, Mayor Michael B. Coleman says. People will gather near its one-of-a-kind arch, tilted 10 degrees north up the Scioto River like a jump rope on a perpetual downswing. They'll hold festivals on its separate pedestrian deck - a "balcony for the city" in the words of bridge designer Spiro Pollalis - or they'll just take a walk there and admire the skyline. They won't remember that the bridge was finished more than four years late at triple the cost projected when Coleman first picked the design. What started as a $19.5 million bridge will end up consuming $60.1 million in federal, state and local tax dollars by the time it opens this week. Full story at: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/07/25/copy/pretty--costly-.html?adsec=politics&sid=101[
July 26, 201014 yr West Columbus Railroad Bridge Gets A Big Face Lift Camp Chase Railroad Bridge Over West Broad Street to be Rehabilitated Has there been any official thought given to the fact that this railway connects the future casino to downtown and, more specifically, the arena district?
August 16, 201014 yr Rt. 315 construction to end ahead of schedule Monday, August 16, 2010 01:45 PM By Ben Wolford The Columbus Dispatch Construction on Rt. 315 will end more than a week earlier than scheduled. By Aug. 23, southbound lanes and ramps will be open, and by Sept. 10, northbound lanes and ramps will be open, Ohio Department of Transportation officials said today. Between then, two northbound lanes will be open in the construction zone. For the Ohio State University football home opener Sept. 2, road workers will not work on the two open northbound travel lanes after noon to keep traffic moving for the 7:30 p.m. kickoff. Full story at: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/08/16/Rt._315_work_to_end_ahead_of_schedule.html?sid=101
September 17, 201014 yr Morse & Reynoldsburg-New Albany Roundabout set to open Sept. 20 Wednesday, September 8, 2010 By MARLA K. KUHLMAN ThisWeek Community Newspapers Motorists should expect their traffic woes to diminish Monday, Sept. 20, when a new $2.4-million roundabout at Morse and Reynoldsburg-New Albany roads is scheduled to open. Michael Meeks, Franklin County traffic engineer, said the intersection was redesigned as a one-way roundabout for Morse and two lanes for Reynoldsburg-New Albany Road. Full article: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/gahanna/stories/2010/09/08/roundabout-set-to-open-sept--20.html?sid=104
October 4, 201014 yr We have a drive to drive Efforts to put central Ohioans on bikes and buses haven't paid off: Commuters are driving to work more than ever, and often alone. Monday, October 4, 2010 02:48 AM By Doug Caruso THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The car remains king in central Ohio despite years of "car-free" days, "bike-to-work" weeks and other programs that encourage commuters to get out from behind the wheel. Columbus-area commuters were more likely to drive to work alone in 2009 than they were in 2008, according to numbers the U.S. Census Bureau released last week from its American Community Survey. Rates of carpooling, bicycling and riding public transit to work all declined slightly. Full story at: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/10/04/we-have-a-drive-to-drive.html?sid=101
October 4, 201014 yr That's no surprise since the city only recently made a stretch of road that is part of the Olentangy Trail a bike boulevard and well after put sharrows on a long stretch of High. Cycling infrastructure is still non-existent in most urban neighborhoods even though it consists of simply painting sharrows and signage. Combine that with the fact that the transportation department has set aside tens of millions of dollars to encourage more commuters on arterial roads in our outskirts by adding several more lanes. Our city government is big on accommodating and encouraging more commuting motorists while letting urban side streets fall into serious disrepair. Instead of serving as a leader for the rest of Central Ohio we're basically just doing the same old thing and then wonder why traffic is so horrible around the northern outerbelt. Case in point, the addition of two lanes to N High north of 270. ODOT wants to add more lanes at the interchange so as usual city officials just give a stamp of approval to whatever the DOT says and is going to spend $6.6 million to add two lanes. Oh well, it's not like anyone cares.
November 22, 201014 yr SHORT NORTH DISPUTE On-street parking off-limits to valets City plans rules requiring they use only private lots Thursday, November 18, 2010 By Robert Vitale, The Columbus Dispatch Park-it-yourselfers have won the war against valets for the most prime spots in the Short North, Arena District, Downtown and German Village. A policy change being finalized by the Columbus Department of Public Service would ban valet-parking businesses from snatching metered and free spaces on city streets, requiring them instead to line up private lots to park their customers' vehicles. The new rules also would prohibit valet businesses from blocking traffic lanes, intersections, crosswalks, sidewalks and wheelchair ramps. And another provision would outlaw what city officials say is an under-the-table practice in which big tips buy rock-star parking in areas reserved for vehicles entering or leaving valet zones. Randy Bowman, who directs the department's transportation division, said private businesses shouldn't profit from public property. The ban on valet-parked vehicles using metered or free on-street parking, city-owned lots or city-owned garages will be imposed as valet companies acquire or renew annual permits, Bowman said. That will be July 1 for those now in business. MORE: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/11/18/copy/on-street-parking-off-limits-to-valets.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
December 8, 201014 yr State unveils plan for interchange on Rt. 16 Tuesday, November 23, 2010 By Josh Jarman, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH NEWARK, Ohio - Licking County residents got their first look yesterday at a proposed interchange that is designed to improve traffic flow and safety along Rt. 16 near Granville. The Ohio Department of Transportation held an open house at the Ohio State University-Newark campus to solicit feedback on a freeway interchange design that would eliminate the intersection at Rt. 16 and Cherry Valley Road, which is plagued by congestion and high crash rates. The state's recommended design would be east of the current intersection and largely built on land already owned by the state. The interchange would cost $35 million to $38 million. The state has secured funding to design and study the project next year, but construction would not begin before 2014, officials said. MORE: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/11/23/copy/state-unveils-plan-for-interchange-on-rt-16.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
February 13, 201114 yr What the article fails to note is that it's the kind of development that is creating traffic on this street, not just that there's development. When you have no side street alternatives like you do in the city and every car gets dumped onto the same road, what can you expect? Well, you can expect the government to bail you out instead of making you live with your decision. If you're a motorist, that is. Hilliard Rome construction to continue (by Sandi Latimer, Staff Writer - November 24, 2010) Road construction designed to allow better access between the far Westside and Hilliard will continue through 2011 and 2012. The Ohio Department of Transportation plans to continue the road-widening process in the coming two years, picking up on Hilliard-Rome Road where the current project leaves off, south of Roberts Road, and continuing south to Westchester Wood Boulevard. This is a 1.19 mile project. Bids for the project, expected to cost $8.2 million, are to be submitted by the middle of December, said Brian Hedge, ODOT spokesperson. For the past several years, work has been underway on Hilliard-Rome Road from Scioto Darby Road in Hilliard, south to near Roberts Road. Hilliard-Rome Road is being widened from two lanes to four lanes with a center turn lane. This will make traffic flow better between the far Westside and Hilliard, an area that has experienced a lot of development in recent years, creating traffic flow problems. http://www.columbusmessenger.com/NC/0/9146.html
February 13, 201114 yr What's need in Ohio (and elsewhere) is a "fix-it-first" strategy toward highway infrastructure, but should not include widening arterial highways just for the sake of increasing capacity for moving motor vehicles. We need a moratorium on any roads project that results in creating more traffic and motor vehicle usage..... not to mention that it also greatly increases the annual costs of maintaining new lane miles. Politicians and critics can squawk about the "annual costs" of pasenger rail, light rail, streetcars, etc..... but those costs are far less than what is being doled out annual to keep Ohio's roadways in driveable condition....and in many cases, barely so.
March 1, 201114 yr Exactly. Columbus alone had its roads ranked overall, or was in danger of soon receiving a "D". And yet we're adding more and more roads that we already can barely keep up with? Problem is, virtually no one is placing any pressure whatsoever on city leadership: there is no outrage where there should be. Tack a couple more onto the previous bill for Columbus roads, though I have to give a huge kudos to Robert Vitale for actually even posing the question. Once again though, motorist are not being forced to live with their choice to live a car-only lifestyle with others choosing the same lifestyle and are once again being bailed out by the government. From the Dispatch: http://www.dispatch.com/live/export-content/sites/dispatch/local_news/stories/2011/01/17/arling-trash-art0-gnfbabtv-10117gfx-sawmill-fixes-extention-eps-large.jpg[/img] 3 projects planned in area Is roadwork good or bad for Sawmill? Monday, January 17, 2011 02:52 AM By Robert Vitale THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH I-270 traffic headed onto Sawmill Road used to back up on the freeway before an interchange designed to better handle the flow opened in 2000. A little more than a decade later, the number of people driving through the area is up 40percent, and traffic exiting the Outerbelt still backs up. Officials say roadwork planned by Columbus, Dublin and Delaware County in the coming years will help move motorists more quickly through the area - especially those who live in the neighborhoods and apartment complexes north of I-270. But others say the projects have been planned with an eye toward encouraging growth rather than accommodating what's there. Instead of easing congestion, they say, the roadwork will bring more development, more people and more traffic headaches. "It's an area that needs some attention," said John Best, president of the Far Northwest Coalition, a civic association. "We have two-lane roads that should be five-lane roads, or five-lane roads that should be seven-lane roads. We have a lot of roads that are" over capacity. http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/01/17/copy/is-roadwork-good-or-bad-for-sawmill.html
April 7, 201114 yr Full steam(roller) ahead for road-construction season Despite state budget troubles, orange barrels will be a frequent sight on central Ohio roads Monday, April 4, 2011 By Robert Vitale, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The state budget battles spilling into Downtown streets won't have an effect this spring and summer on central Ohio highways. In fact, the Ohio Department of Transportation will spend double its yearly average on roadwork in the region, thanks to the scheduled start of a long-planned rebuilding of I-70/71 through Downtown in June. About 50 projects already are in the works or scheduled to start between now and October in Franklin and surrounding counties. They total almost $461.2 million. MAP OF ROAD PROJECTS IN DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS, FRANKLIN COUNTY AND CENTRAL OHIO COUNTIES READ MORE: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/04/04/copy/full-steamroller-ahead.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
April 22, 201114 yr The reduction of the speed limit from 35MPH was broached before in the Dispatch and after a recent incident due to a speeding car hitting and killing a woman crossing the street this is being brought up again. Call renewed for speed limit reduction Wednesday, April 13, 2011 11:41 AM By KEVIN PARKS ThisWeek Community Newspapers In an impassioned letter seeking to find some meaning in the tragic death of a friend, Clintonville resident Donna Leigh-Osborne is calling on city officials to reduce the speed limit along the stretch of North High Street where Molly Palsgrove Davis lost her life on March 15. Clintonville Area Commission members will consider adding their weight to the request at their May meeting. The issue came up briefly at last week's monthly session. Chairman John DeFourny asked his colleagues to discuss the matter with their constituents. Davis, 61, died at Riverside Methodist Hospital from injuries sustained in a 4:48 p.m. crash at the intersection of East Torrence Road and North High Street. The Montrose Way resident, according to published reports, was westbound on East Torrence when the vehicle she was driving was struck by a car headed southbound on High Street. http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/clintonville/stories/2011/04/13/call-renewed-for-speed-limit-reduction.html It's always sad that someone has to die before anything is done to correct a problem. The layout of Clintonville's stretch of High is much wider than southern portions: four travel lanes, a turn lane, and two on-street parking lanes. I personally haven't had an issue riding in the middle of the right hand lane, which is marked with sharrows, in 35 MPH traffic for months. Crossing the street is another issue though, since traffic lights tend to be spaced further apart consistently with some heavily traveled pedestrian crossings being located smack dab between two lights, hence why people simply don't walk all the way to the next light to cross the street where their destination is. In addition to that, I've noticed that traffic lights in Clintonville tend to stay green unless a pedestrian pushes the button to cross the street. This means that drivers, like the one that maliciously killed that poor woman, will reach ridiculous speeds because they can. Re-timing existing signals may do the trick, but they need to be timed in such a way that drivers are not able to to zip up and down High St here at 60+ MPH. Not too long ago a guy reached over 100MPH and wiped out the abandoned storefront of the Clintonville Electric building. Retooling the traffic signals would at the very least help minimize the possibility of reckless speeding and I hope the city will do something useful as a response.
April 22, 201114 yr Yep, just putting up signs isn't going to slow that many cars down. The ones that do slow down will be tailgated to no end or speeders will just juke and jive their way their way through traffic. Proper urban design and traffic engineering will slow cars and stimulate entrepreneurial spirits.
October 13, 20159 yr morpc @morpc 7m7 minutes ago Today MORPC's @thea_jo was on hand to celebrate the start of construction on State Route 750 near the Columbus Zoo. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 9, 20168 yr Three of the heaviest traveled interchanges on the northern part of I-270 are in the middle of a repair project being referred to as the "Mega-Fix". The Dispatch recently ran an overview/status report on this I-270 Mega-Fix: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2016/08/05/i-270-getting-much-needed-mega-fix.html
August 9, 20168 yr Here is a location map and info for the three I-270 interchanges that are part of the Mega-Fix project: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2016/08/05/i-270-getting-much-needed-mega-fix.html I-270 & Rt. 33 — $67.2 million: › Add lanes on Rt. 33. › Remove northwest and southeast loop ramps. › Add ramps between I-270 and Rt. 33. I-270 & Rt. 315 — $70.7 million: › Add lane to Rt. 315 north from Rt. 161 to I-270. › Add lane from I-270 east to Rt. 23. › Add ramp from Rt. 23 south to I-270 west and Rt. 315. › Add ramp from Rt. 315 south to I-270 east and Rt. 23. › Reconstruct Olentangy Trail under new ramps at I-270 and Rt. 315. I-270 & Rt. 23 (High St.) — $78 million: › Widen Rt. 23 in both directions from two to three lanes from Northwoods Boulevard to Lazelle Road. › Add southbound lane from I-270 to Northwoods Boulevard. › Add “trench” — two lanes to carry through traffic under under Campus View Boulevard and Flint Road to avoid traffic lights. › Reconfigure two loops ramps, from I-270 east to Rt. 23 north and I-270 west to Rt. 23 south. › Add decorative fence on Rt. 23 bridge over I-270.
November 1, 20168 yr Public meetings for initial recommendations of the city's Connect Columbus plan,
November 1, 20168 yr The 23 trench just pushes traffic up to the Lazelle Rd area. IMO, they just moved snarl up the road a mile or two. Very Stable Genius
November 1, 20168 yr The 23 trench just pushes traffic up to the Lazelle Rd area. IMO, they just moved snarl up the road a mile or two. I think that was the goal - ODOT wanted to move stopped traffic off of 270 for safety reasons.
November 2, 20168 yr Columbus planning massive streetlight expansion, plus city-wide LED conversion Officials are planning a major expansion and upgrade of Columbus’ street-lighting system that could cost tens of millions of dollars and illuminate the entirety of the 223-square-mile city. The ambitious project would seek to bring lights to some 680 miles of Columbus streets. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2016/11/02/columbus-plans-massive-street-lighting-project.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
November 2, 20168 yr The City has set up a pilot project for the public to comment on the light color (Kelvin temp) on Northridge Dr. in Clintonville. There's quite a difference between 3K and 4K lights. From an email I received: (Columbus, OH) The Columbus Division of Power is working to improve neighborhoods by providing high quality, energy efficient street lights. That is why the division is beginning a pilot project that will lead to new streetlight design standards for the entire city. Streetlights along Northridge Road between Indianola Avenue and Granden Road have been replaced with a new generation of LED correlated color temperature (CCT) lights. CCT uses the Kelvin temperature measurement scale to describe the relative color appearance of a light source indicating whether it appears more yellow/gold (3,000 Kelvin) or more white (4,000 Kelvin). In an effort to finalize the LED streetlight design standards for Columbus, the city has installed both 3,000 Kelvin and 4,000 Kelvin LED streetlights for public review. Lights are labeled “3K” and “4K” towards the top of the pole, right under the fixture. The lights are on from sundown to sunrise. Comments regarding color temperature preference from all interested stakeholders, even those who do not live in the immediate area, including residents, area commissioners, developers, architects, electrical contractors and other providers will be accepted until 4 PM, Monday, November 23, 2016. Please submit written comments via email to [email protected] or mail-in comments to Danny Jones, Streetlight Engineering Manager, Division of Power, 3500 Indianola Ave., Columbus, OH 43214.
January 3, 20178 yr I think the new trench is great! Had a nice trip down recently, and the drive was better than ever! Got 3 lanes each way on 75 from perrysburg to findlay ( project wrapping up in the northern section) And that whole 23 270 stretch was much easier imo, to get thru.. Just wish they could make some of the portions of 23 between carey and columbus, limited access hwy
April 6, 20178 yr Bridge Work to Shut Down Stretch of Indianola Avenue for Six Months A major rehabilitation of the Indianola Avenue bridge over Glen Echo Ravine will soon shut down traffic in both directions on the street for six months. Starting at 7 a.m. on Monday, April 10, no cars or pedestrians will be able to travel across the bridge, which sits just north of Arcadia Avenue and straddles the border between Clintonville and Old North Columbus. More below: http://www.columbusunderground.com/bridge-work-to-shut-down-stretch-of-indianola-avenue-for-six-months-bw1 "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
August 28, 20177 yr http://www.dot.state.oh.us/projects/I-270/Pages/Three-North-Side-Ramps-Open-Next-Week.aspx THREE NORTH SIDE RAMPS OPENING NEXT WEEK Good news for North Side drivers. By the end of next week, weather permitting, ODOT will open three ramps at the I-270/SR 315/US 23 interchanges, two of them brand new ramps: I-270 east to US 23 - new ramp that goes over SR 315 SR 315 south to I-270 east - new ramp called the "Shepherd's Hook" I-270 east to SR 315 north Some of the ramps that have been part of the I-270/315/23 mess will be opening this week. Very Stable Genius
August 30, 20177 yr Author If they do this shit before they replace the Brent Spence Bridge (total cost $750M) I will kill someone. 13 years later, where are you hiding the bodies? :-P
March 27, 20187 yr http://www.dot.state.oh.us/districts/D06/Construction/Documents/2017%20Construction/ODOT_Let_2018_District_Esize.pdf ODOT released their Zone 6 plans for 2018. Very Stable Genius
April 6, 20187 yr http://www.dispatch.com/news/20180404/smartlane-south-side-megafix-among-local-odot-plans-for-2018 - First the North Side Megafix. Now the South Side Megafix (see map above) - Route 33 will get extra lane in each direction between Hamilton Road and the I-270 interchange. - And the widening of I-270 between I-70 and Route 33 is scheduled to be finished in September.
April 6, 20187 yr That extra lane on 33 betwen Hamilton and 270 is much needed. I think it needs to be three lanes all the way down to Lancaster. They also need to do something about the 33/70 interchange. The fact that traffic on 33 has to go through a stoplight before it can merge onto 70 going toward downtown is such a joke.
April 6, 20187 yr That extra lane on 33 betwen Hamilton and 270 is much needed. I think it needs to be three lanes all the way down to Lancaster. They also need to do something about the 33/70 interchange. The fact that traffic on 33 has to go through a stoplight before it can merge onto 70 going toward downtown is such a joke. Agreed and honestly is probably a significant factor in why a places like Canal and Groveport have had their growth stunted. Once this is finished I could see that changing.
April 6, 20187 yr ^ Actually, not sure if you have been out to those areas recently, but there is a decent amount of growth going on out in those areas. There are numerous suburban neighborhoods going up in Groveport around Groveport & Bixby Road, in Canal along Gender road, and in Pickerington along Diley road. I think you are right though, hopefully adding these lanes will decrease traffic a bit. If that can happen, I think it will make these areas much more desirable because they tend to be a bit cheaper than most of the other Columbus suburbs.
April 6, 20187 yr ^ Actually, not sure if you have been out to those areas recently, but there is a decent amount of growth going on out in those areas. There are numerous suburban neighborhoods going up in Groveport around Groveport & Bixby Road, in Canal along Gender road, and in Pickerington along Diley road. I think you are right though, hopefully adding these lanes will decrease traffic a bit. If that can happen, I think it will make these areas much more desirable because they tend to be a bit cheaper than most of the other Columbus suburbs. I have not but in saying that I'm not surprised. Even with the current conditions they're easier to get to than Grove City. Also Groveport's new high school is only going to help.
April 6, 20187 yr If drivers hadn't gotten so impatient and overly-aggressive on 33 the widening wouldn't be as necessary. If there was some enforcement on the stretch it wouldn't be nearly as much of a problem. I almost never see any law enforcement through there.
April 6, 20187 yr ^ Actually, not sure if you have been out to those areas recently, but there is a decent amount of growth going on out in those areas. There are numerous suburban neighborhoods going up in Groveport around Groveport & Bixby Road, in Canal along Gender road, and in Pickerington along Diley road. I think you are right though, hopefully adding these lanes will decrease traffic a bit. If that can happen, I think it will make these areas much more desirable because they tend to be a bit cheaper than most of the other Columbus suburbs. I have not but in saying that I'm not surprised. Even with the current conditions they're easier to get to than Grove City. Also Groveport's new high school is only going to help. Yea, that new building is definitely going to help. It was much needed. I wonder how Canal High School is doing in terms of capacity. I have to think they must be getting close to full. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if Pickerington has to start talking about a new high school (if they haven't already) within the next ~8 years or so.
April 6, 20187 yr ^ Actually, not sure if you have been out to those areas recently, but there is a decent amount of growth going on out in those areas. There are numerous suburban neighborhoods going up in Groveport around Groveport & Bixby Road, in Canal along Gender road, and in Pickerington along Diley road. I think you are right though, hopefully adding these lanes will decrease traffic a bit. If that can happen, I think it will make these areas much more desirable because they tend to be a bit cheaper than most of the other Columbus suburbs. I have not but in saying that I'm not surprised. Even with the current conditions they're easier to get to than Grove City. Also Groveport's new high school is only going to help. Hamilton Schools are also booming with all the warehouses bringing in the tax dollars. Modest homes can still be had there, but a new development by Butler Homes starts in the mid $200s. Wouldn't be surprised to see Lockbourne Rd get an exit off 270 in the future. The space between High St and Alum Creek Drive is much too far for access purposes. As far as 33; it needs a total overhaul from 70 to the Lancaster bypass. Three lanes are necessary. Getting rid of the light off of 70 is necessary. At least two exit lanes from 70 is necessary. Getting rid of the cloverleaf interchange at 270 is necessary. Removing access to/from side roads such as Bixby, Rager, Bowen, and Pickerington is necessary. Canal Winchester has high taxes and I've been seeing many high-end homes being built, even in the Lithopolis area. If 33 got a proper overhaul, I see no reason this area couldn't be as affluent as the north side of the metro. Not far as the crow flies from downtown, great access to the best recreation in the metro, and near tons of modest-to-high-paying blue collar jobs.
Create an account or sign in to comment