Leaders from the Ohio Department of Transportation held a meeting Thursday to give residents and officials a preview of changes that could be coming to the region.
ODOT presented “The US-33 Corridor Plan: A vision for Logan and Union counties.” The 20-year, long-range plan looks at not only U.S. 33, but access to the highway from Route 274, west of Bellefontaine, to Route 161 at the City of Dublin.
Tim Bates, with Murphy Epson, the consulting group tasked with preparing the plan, said that, “what this corridor plan does is gives us a sense of what your priorities are going forward.”
The plan looked at safety, mobility and accessibility, economic development, and efficiency and reliability surrounding U.S. 33 and its access roads.
Officials said that in trying to predict the future, officials looked at what they called “drivers of change” including population demographics, development patterns, the economy and the impacts of technology. Officials said that by looking at those four, they could begin to predict what the region will look like decades from now.
Craig Ketron, with the planning firm Jacobs, said the goal is not to predict the future but to prepare for and adapt to a variety of possible futures.
The plan presented possible options including increasing traffic capacity, making interchange improvements, making intersection improvements, improving access management, studying the transportation needs, creating new roads or road alignments and ensuring improvements and access to active transportation such as running, biking or walking.
Officials mentioned several possible projects to improve the corridor. Possible projects included widening U.S. 33 from Route 161 to Route 4; improving a variety of intersections on U.S. 33 as well as access roads; improving interchanges at U.S. 36, Northwest Parkway, Routes 31 and 4, Delaware Avenue and U.S. 42; and safety studies on the area at the exit for Routes 31 and 4.
The plan also indicated the potential for new interchanges at Beecher Gamble and Mitchell-Dewitt roads.
Officials stressed the projects are not planned, funded or even proposed, but rather part of a potential preparedness document.
“We really want to take a look at what plans can we have in our back pocket, so we can be more proactive than reactive when and where growth occurs,” said Scott Phinney, ODOT statewide planning and research administrator.
Sara Walton, with Cambridge Systematics, said there are some short-term things that can be done to help.
Walton said the plan calls for ODOT and local officials to address “priority safety locations” within the corridor; look at crash data to assess areas that can be improved and implement proven safety counter measures like rumble strips and signage; support regional active transportation plans; manage and coordinate a variety of public and private transportation options; use technology to coordinate and manage traffic flow; supporting infrastructure to allow for the testing of advanced vehicle technologies; identify and promote locations for development that make sense given transportation options; coordinate future land use plans to help with transportation options.
Residents and stakeholders have until Dec. 4 to submit comments on the plan. Comments can be emailed to statewide.planning@dot.ohio.gov.