Above is one of three options Dublin presented to Union County officials for the look of the U.S. 33 and state Route 161/Post Road interchange. While this look is the one local officials favor, they have said the final product will likely be a combination of features. (Graphic submitted)
Local officials are working on the look for the gateway to Union County.
“Dublin has been kind enough to ask our opinion,” said Union County Engineer Jeff Stauch.
The engineer said Dublin has provided Union County with three different “aesthetic treatments” for the U.S. 33 and state Route 161/Post Road interchange.
Assistant County Engineer Bill Narducci called the creations, “very preliminary.”
“This was, in essence, the architects first attempt after speaking with us and Dublin in regards to the character of the structure as well as some landscaping,” Narducci said.
Stauch said Dublin wants to keep some portions of its city look in the project design. Local officials say they want to also be able to combine Union County’s agrarian character with the entrance to the U.S. 33 innovation corridor.
Stauch said the options provided by Dublin include a “contemporary view” with “some curves and arches,” another that is “a little more traditional” and a third that is, “a little bit simpler.”
“We took a lot of features from this (the traditional view) that we liked and added some from the second that we liked,” Stauch said.
Narducci said the designs are, “still going through the review and tweaking process.”
Stauch said the final design, “will probably be a combination of comments.”
Union County Commissioner Chris Schmenk asked about the cost difference between the three options.
“They haven’t gotten to that level yet,” Stauch said, but he added that is a legitimate concern because the local governments, “are going to be on the hook for any overages.”
The project is already expected to cost $48.61 million — $30.98 million for construction, $13.2 million for right-of-way acquisition and utilities, $3.63 million for design and $800,000 for planning and environmental analysis.
Union County has committed to contribute $3.5 million to the project. Last year, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission awarded $10 million toward the project and ODOT’s Transportation Review Advisory Council awarded additional funds to bring its total contribution to $11.25 million for the project. The Ohio Department of Transportation will contribute nearly a million to the project and developers for projects in the area will contribute 2.75 million. Dublin has paid $17.63 million in design and right-of-way acquisition and is contributing $2.6 million in construction.
“It is getting there,” Narducci said of the project financing. “We have made some good progress on the financing, but there is still an outstanding gap and we are working together to fill that gap.”
Stauch said maintenance will also be an issue. He said that while maintenance will be Dublin’s responsibility, local officials want it to look nice into the future. He cited the interchange at Tuttle Crossing Boulevard. The engineer said Dublin has done “a pretty good job” maintaining it and, “it still looks nice, but not like it was on opening day.”
Narducci said the project is scheduled to begin construction in 2022. Officials have said they expect it will take two years to complete.
According to information from ODOT, the U.S. 33/SR 161 and Post Road Interchange project “upgrades the existing rural interchange into an urban interchange to improve safety, reduce congestion, and accommodate growth in the area.”
The project’s proposed improvements to the interchange will include two new loop ramps that will “eliminate the existing left-turn conflicts to enter the US 33 ramps.”
Stauch said the project calls for at least one roundabout to help with traffic flow, though officials are “still discussing that.” He said engineers are looking at traffic signals instead, “to see what works best.”
Officials said planning studies and environmental approvals for the project were completed more than a decade ago. Narducci said there was some design work done on the project at that time also. He said state officials have asked Dublin, which has the engineering lead on the project, to revisit the plans in light of new traffic projections.
Officials said the current interchange handles about twice the amount of traffic it was designed for. The area has seen significant growth with a FedEx distribution and a large outpatient-care center to be in the area.