Jerome Township is offering to foot the bill if the county engineer’s office approves a new traffic signal at a dangerous township intersection.
“Jeff, the time for long meetings, traffic studies, bureaucratic delays and talk is over,” Trustee Joe Craft wrote in a letter to Union County Engineer Jeff Stauch. “The time has come for action.”
The trustees approved a resolution Tuesday night, calling on the Union County Engineer’s Office to install a traffic signal at the intersection of Industrial Parkway and Mitchell Dewitt Road no later than Oct. 1, with completion by Nov. 30.
A temporary traffic signal would cost approximately $280,000, according to Craft, for which the trustees agreed to reimburse the county.
“We’re urging that this be done right now, without delay,” Craft said during the trustees meeting.
Craft’s Sept. 16 letter to Stauch referenced a March zoning commission meeting in which Bill Narducci, assistant county engineer, cited an Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) study that ranked the Industrial Parkway/Mitchell Dewitt Road intersection as one of the two most dangerous in Union County.
Between a poor line of sight and differing elevations, Craft wrote that residents fear for their lives when driving in the area.
“In short, when a driver enters the intersection of Industrial Parkway and Mitchell Dewitt Road, they put their life into someone else’s hands,” Craft wrote to Stauch.
Craft also referenced an analysis by Smart Services, a traffic engineering firm, that concluded a traffic signal is needed at the intersection.
While only one of nine “signal warrants” must be met, the study indicated that both the eight-hour vehicle volume and peak hour traffic prove the necessity of a signal.
According to Craft’s letter, Jerome Township representatives have been in “active discussions” with the Union County Engineer’s Office and Union County Commissioners regarding roadway needs since September 2020, though tangible progress has not been made.
Craft wrote that the Jerome Township Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) District, which was implemented Oct. 1, 2020, can push the issue forward.
“The purpose of the Jerome TIF is to help pay for the construction of critically needed and long overdue Jerome Township roadway safety and traffic improvements,” Craft wrote.
He noted following Tuesday’s meeting that he initially thought funds generated by the TIF must be spent in the district. However, legislation permits that they are spent on roads that feed into the TIF District.
Craft wrote that the trustees are willing to enter into an agreement with the Union County Commissioners to reimburse the county for the full cost of the traffic signal, using funds from the TIF.
To eliminate any further obstacles, Craft noted that the township, in cooperation with Innovation District partner Schottenstein Real Estate Group, contracted engineering firm EMH&T to complete engineering and construction drawings. He said they were submitted to Stauch on Sept. 17.
Craft also wrote that all required materials and equipment have been reserved and a contractor is on standby, ready to begin construction on Oct. 1.
His letter requested that Stauch’s office approve the EMH&T drawings no later than Thursday, while the Jerome Township Trustees enter into a reimbursement agreement with the Union County Commissions no later than Friday.
Craft noted that the Industrial Parkway/Mitchell Dewitt Road intersection is not the only dangerous juncture in the township.
His letter references the U.S. 42 and Industrial Parkway improvement project.
Craft wrote that correspondence from Narducci indicated funding for the project has not yet been obtained and ODOT has not committed to a construction start date.
“How long must the residents of Jerome Township wait for the safety and traffic problems at this intersection to be fixed?” Craft wrote.
He said the township feels strongly that traffic improvements in the area must begin “no later than Spring 2023.”
To ensure the project follows his proposed timeline, Craft wrote that Jerome Township will work with the county engineer to “fill any funding gap” with monies generated by the TIF.
Beyond TIF funding, the resolution notes that Union County is currently negotiating with Amazon Web Services (AWS) regarding new facilities that will be built in the township.
“The trustees seek to ensure that any new facility makes a fair share contribution for the cost to construct safe roads and new roads in proportion to the facility’s traffic impacts and economic incentives,” the resolution states.
Along with a call to action from the trustees to the county engineer, the resolution authorizes Craft to conduct negotiations on the township’s behalf with Stauch regarding AWS contributions.
Craft’s letter proposes that township staff and trustees meet with Stauch on Monday, Sept. 20. At Tuesday’s meeting, he said the group had not set a meeting date.