DELAWARE, Ohio — Update: A virtual public meeting to discuss survey findings and possible solutions to the congestion along US-23 north of Franklin County will be held today, Wednesday, November 3, at noon.
The link to that meeting as well as two upcoming in-person meetings on Wednesday, November 10, can be here.
U.S. 23 is busy across the State of Ohio but drivers in Delaware County and the surrounding areas are especially frustrated by bottlenecks, congestion and unreliable travel times, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.
It’s why ODOT is hosting virtual public meetings to gauge options for improvements to the US-23 corridor between Waldo in Marion County and Interstate 270 on Franklin County’s north side.
Aside from area residents, U.S. 23 connects central Ohio to Toledo and beyond, to trade partners up in Michigan and Canada.
Of the 30,000 vehicles traveling U.S.23 north of Delaware each day, nearly one in every seven is a semi-truck, according to ODOT.
When combined with area traffic and business, the congestion adds up, said Toni Turowski, ODOT planning engineer.
“U.S. 23 in Delaware County has experienced a lot of growth in the last couple decades,” he said. “It’s one of the fastest-growing counties in the state and really in the nation. And that’s led to the corridor being really hard-pressed and congested… higher crash levels and it’s really not serving the public’s needs very well.”
While they are looking long-term, ODOT is continuing to build short-term improvements in the area, like the new U.S. 23 configuration at I-270 on the north side.
After complaints from drivers, ODOT addressed the issue of small overhead guide signs in the area, adding larger signs to alert drivers of the proper lanes, along with giving each exit its own lane.
“We’re talking this big picture, million-dollar projects, but we haven’t sat idly by,” Turowski said. “We’ve been doing lots of turn lanes… Quick Curb; they kind of bolt down a plastic curb with those bollards just to keep people from making those dangerous movements across oncoming traffic.”
To participate in the virtual public meetings to offer ideas for the U. S.23 Delaware County corridor, see the below information from ODOT:
The virtual public meetings to learn more about the needs for the corridor and purpose of the study will be held next month and can be attended by joining online at publicinput.com/23connect or by phone at 1-855-925-2801 with meeting code 4637.
Due to the large geographic area and population affected by U.S. 23, the study area has been divided into smaller groups. The same information will be presented at each meeting, so if someone cannot attend their community’s meeting, they may attend any meeting that fits their schedule. See map for geographic areas of the meetings.
- Northwest Communities (A) - Wednesday, July 7 – 12 p.m.
- Northeast Communities (B) - Wednesday, July 7 – 5 p.m.
- Central Communities (C) - Tuesday, July 13 – 12 p.m.
- Southwest Communities (D) - Tuesday, July 13 – 5 p.m.
- South Communities (E) - Wednesday, July 14 – 12 p.m.
- Southeast Communities (F) - Wednesday, July 14 – 5 p.m.
Ahead of these meetings, ODOT is conducting an online survey to gain a better understanding of the public’s perspective. Area drivers and residents are asked to take the survey at publicinput.com/23connect.
Individuals who require interpretation services or a reasonable accommodation to participate in this meeting or who wish to request a paper copy of the survey or project materials should contact Anthony Turowski, project manager, at (740) 833-8186 prior to June 30, 2021. Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, sex, age, national origin or disability.
Public comments may be submitted at transportation.ohio.gov/23connect or directed to Anthony Turowski. While there will be many opportunities to provide feedback throughout this study, comments following these meetings should be received by August 16, 2021.