ODOT plans roundabout at intersection

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

It appears as if Van Wert County will get its first roundabout following an informational meeting held Tuesday evening at Vantage Career Center.

That option was the one the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) District 1 has recommended as the best way to improve safety at the intersection of U.S. 224, U.S. 127, and Marsh Road north of Van Wert. The intersection, the 29th most dangerous rural intersection among thousands in Ohio, based on the number of accidents, the severity of the accidents, and the number of injuries sustained in those accidents.

Chris Hughes, District 1 deputy director, noted that safety was the No. 1 factor ODOT looked at when evaluating possible ways to make the intersection less deadly.

“The goal is entirely safety,” Hughes said. “That’s the only thing we’re looking at here.”

Noting that the intersection project was part of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s intersection safety program, Hughes also noted that the state has increased the amount of dollars available for traffic safety projects, going from $50 million a year 10 years ago, to $159 million a year now. That was possible largely because of the gasoline tax increase approved by the Ohio General Assembly during its last session.

Hughes said that, in looking at possible options for the Van Wert County intersection, ODOT was seeking the “biggest bang for the buck” — a project that would lower the possibility of fatal and injury crashes while also being cost-effective to construct.

Working with consultant engineering firm Fishbeck, as well as a secondary consulting firm, Mannik Smith, Fishbeck brought in, ODOT researched various possible methods of making the intersection safer, rejecting eventually all but two options: 1. Adding more turn lanes to the intersection and 2. Construction of a one-lane roundabout.

In response to a question from a person at the meeting, Hughes said ODOT had looked at the possibility of placing a traffic light at the intersection, noting that research showed that traffic lights don’t do much to improve safety at an intersection, and can actually make an intersection more dangerous.

In deciding on a roundabout, Hughes said ODOT and Fishbeck looked at the benefits and liabilities of each option, noting that the roundabout option has fewer right-of-way impacts and would cost to construct, while also making the intersection safer than adding turn lanes. A roundabout would have more impact on traffic while being constructed, though, and would also have a greater impact on utilities in the construction area.

ODOT also cited some statistics for roundabouts, noting that, because they force traffic to slow down, roundabouts reduce all crashes by 40 percent, injury crashes by 75 percent, and fatal crashes by 90 percent.

Those who attended the meeting had several concerns, with a Cooper Farms representative wondering whether there would be utility outages during construction that would impact the Van Wert plant north of the intersection, to farmers and truck drivers wondering if their vehicles would have problems getting through the intersection.

Hughes said any outages would be kept to a minimum, and likely would happen prior to construction, while he and Jerod Hiller, a senior transportation engineer for Fishbeck, both noted that the roundabout would be designed to meet the needs of all vehicles using the intersection.

Hughes said a roundabout would also be better for traffic control, since vehicles don’t have to stop at the intersection, but only have to yield to vehicles already in the roundabout.

During the meeting, Hughes also provided a timeline for the project, with the first deadline, for public comments on the project, coming December 19. Comments can be made on the ODOT District 1 project website at www.dot.state.oh.us/districts/d01/planningprograms/projects/van-127/pages/default.aspx or by emailing Lori Brinkman, District 1 consultant contracts administrator, at lori.brinkman@dot.ohio.gov. 

During 2020-21, the design and environmental process will take place, with right-of-way acquisition beginning in December 2020. That process should take most of 2021 and be completed sometime in the fall of 2021, with construction to begin in April 2020 and be completed sometime that fall.

Both Hughes and Hiller noted that the information provided at Tuesday’s meeting was a concept of what a roundabout would look like at the intersection, with an in-depth design process that will deal with any problems and issues related to the intersection construction project. 

Anyone wanting more information on the project can contract Brinkman at 419.999.6864 or by email at the above address.