While encouraged by an offer to contribute funding to traffic improvements, the Union County engineer disagreed with Jerome Township officials’ recommendations and approach to the matter.
Jerome Township Trustee Joe Craft sent a letter to Union County Engineer Jeff Stauch Sept. 17, requesting the installation of a temporary traffic signal at the intersection of Industrial Parkway and Mitchell Dewitt Road by Friday, Oct. 1. The trustees signed a subsequent resolution endorsing Craft’s request on Sept. 21.
The trustees offered to reimburse the county for the cost of the signal – approximately $280,000, according to Craft – using funds generated by the Jerome Township Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) District.
Though the two parties appeared to be at odds in other regards, Stauch said hearing that the TIF will benefit roadway safety is “certainly welcome news.”
“Directing TIF proceeds to help handle the road impacts in your growing township bodes well for the future,” Stauch wrote.
Beyond this, though, Stauch disagreed with many of the assertions made by Craft in his initial letter.
Craft referred to the intersection as one of the most dangerous in Union County and referenced a study by traffic engineering firm Smart Services that concluded a traffic signal is needed.
“Your relatively simple warrant analysis and design sheets are not sufficient without a deeper dive,” Stauch responded.
He said there have not been any fatalities at the junction in the 13-year period in which the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has tracked crash data.
An annual breakdown lists 10 crashes at the Industrial Parkway/Mitchell Dewitt Road intersection since 2017: one that year, none in 2018, five in 2015, one in 2020 and three in 2021.
Stauch noted that four of which were angle crashes, which are the most dangerous and concerning, but “the frequency of them would fall below ODOT’s threshold for a major improvement.” He said the intersection actually sees less crashes than predicted and less than others actually do.
Even so, Stauch said his office is actively working to improve the area.
“While the above data doesn’t show an especially high number of crashes at Mitchell Dewitt, we have indeed made this intersection a priority for an improvement,” he wrote.
He said the county engineer’s office hired a consultant for an independent review of multiple intersections and selected Industrial Parkway/Mitchell Dewitt Road for a further study, which was completed this spring.
“I would have been happy to review it with you,” Stauch wrote, “before you spent resources in the weeks prior to your email and resolution on signal plans and traffic warrants.”
The study outlines an option for lane widenings and installation of a traffic signal, or a roundabout. The roundabout would cost approximately $2.5 million while the signal would be “around half that cost,” according to Stauch.
The engineer said Wednesday that he is “probably leaning toward a roundabout for a couple reasons,” including better traffic flow and less severe accidents.
He said he appropriated $125,000 for a portion of the design and project development to be completed later this year. He wrote that he anticipates detailed designs to be completed next year, with construction in 2023.
Until then, Stauch said “short-term countermeasures,” such as a flashing stop sign or additional striping and lighting, could be added to the intersection between November and January.
In the meantime, he said Craft’s requests are not practical for several reasons.
First, Stauch said a temporary signal requested by Craft would only be in place for approximately one year.
He said spending $300,000 on a temporary signal would take money “off the table for the full improvement.”
“Whether the temporary costs are split among my office, your offsite Innovation Park developer or your TIF (or some combination), those are road dollars that can’t be used elsewhere,” Stauch wrote.
Aside from funding, he said a temporary signal “can actually create safety issues, compounded by the lack of turn lanes.” Stauch noted that it could also negatively impact traffic flow on Industrial Parkway and increase rear-end accidents.
Additionally, he said the timeline proposed by Craft – beginning the project no later than Oct. 1 with completion by Nov. 30 – is not feasible.
While Craft said a contractor is on standby, Stauch said Ohio law prevents him from selecting the company without a public bidding process.
“I find it concerning that the township is not aware of that basic Ohio requirement,” he wrote.
Along with taking issue with Jerome Township’s recommendation, Stauch admonished Craft’s approach.
“I understand that picking up the phone to share your concerns about Mitchell Dewitt/Industrial Parkway doesn’t yield the political gain that your letter and your board’s subsequent resolution does, but I would imagine all of our other transportation partners would have chosen that path instead,” Stauch wrote.
He added that “there has been absolutely no mention” from Craft about the intersection until the Sept. 17 letter.
Stauch said his office aims to maintain an open line of communication with Jerome Township.
He said he is disappointed by Craft’s perception of the county engineer’s office as one defined by bureaucracy.
“It’s a shame that you see us in that light,” Stauch wrote. “I suppose I could direct my folks to find some efficiencies in the future by not fielding the nearly daily calls or emails from your organization.”
He noted that his office assists the Jerome Township zoning and streets staff and inspects future infrastructure at no cost. He said his staff also assists with drainage issues and road repairs at a rate lower than a contractor.
“We aren’t required to provide most of this assistance, but have always chosen to do so because your residents and road users are also ours,” Stauch wrote.
Still, he said Craft’s letter and “approach of pushing a project” is unlikely to sway his office.
“Our office hasn’t and doesn’t prioritize our work based on votes, and won’t as long as I’m here,” Stauch wrote.