’06 roadwork is mapped out
Full slate of highway projects to greet drivers all summer long and beyond
Monday, February 06, 2006
Tim Doulin
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
<!--PHOTOS--> <table class="phototableright" align="right" border="0"><!-- begin large ad code --> <tbody><tr><td> <table align="center"></table> </td></tr> </tbody></table>
It’s not the biggest road project this year, but to many Demorest Road residents, it is among the most anticipated.
Demorest will be widened from two lanes to three between Glorious and Parkside roads near Sullivant Avenue on the West Side.
Turn lanes at the intersection of Demorest and Sullivant should help relieve bottlenecks, residents said. Curbs and sidewalks will improve the road’s appearance.
Others say they hope the work will reduce flooding.
"It’s about time they started on it," said Jack Maxwell, who has lived on Demorest 18 years.
"We have been waiting eight or nine years."
In conjunction, Sullivant will be widened from three lanes to five, from just west of Wilson Road to Athens Avenue.
The $6.3 million work on Demorest and Sullivant, which is expected to begin this spring and end in the fall, is one of many road projects planned for Franklin County this year. Columbus, suburbs, townships, the county and the state will do the work.
Among the larger projects in Columbus:
• Widening Norton Road from two to five lanes from Hall Road to W. Broad Street. Work on the $9 million project begins in the spring and is scheduled to end in mid-2007.
• Widening McKinley Avenue from two lanes to three from Central Avenue to Souder Avenue, and working on storm sewers. The project will cost $9.5 million.
• Widening Roberts Road from three lanes to five between Hilliard-Rome Road and West- belt Drive. The $7.3 million project is supposed to start in the fall and end in mid-2008.
• Starting the third phase of the Hard Road project, which includes widening the road from two lanes to five, and creating a new intersection at Hard and Rt. 315.
This spring, Franklin County will add turn lanes and make other changes at Havens Corners Road at Reynoldsburg-New Albany Road. The $2 million project, which will begin in the spring and end in the fall, will require closing the intersection.
"I’m sure it will be inconvenient for folks," said Ted Beidler, county project engineer. "That will be a total closure where people will have to take an alternate route."
Some other county projects:
• Widening Stelzer Road to five lanes from I-670 to McCutcheon Road. Construction has started and is scheduled to end in November 2007. The project will cost nearly $8 million.
• Widening Hamilton Road to five lanes from Rt. 62 to Morse Road. Construction has started and should be completed in the fall. The project will cost $8 million.
• Installing a roundabout at Morse Road and Rt. 62. Work will begin in May and should end next year.
A number of Ohio Department of Transportation projects will affect motorists. Some of the projects were started last year or 2004.
They include the $126 million NEXT project at Rt. 161 and I-270 and the Gemini Parkway Interchange north of I-270 and Polaris Parkway.
"We are going to be redesigning the existing ramps at Polaris, but in order to do that, we will have to close them," said Todd Sloan, a Transportation Department spokesman.
"But we won’t close them until we get those ramps at Gemini open. (Motorists) will be able to get around; it will just be a little different."
The state also will begin work realigning Rt. 750 near the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. The first phase of construction will take place on zoo property, posing little inconvenience to motorists, Sloan said.
Next year, Rt. 750 will be widened from two lanes to four all the way to Sawmill Parkway, he said.
Work also will begin on a $40 million city-state project to replace the Main Street Bridge Downtown.
The existing bridge will be demolished this summer, and construction could begin in November.
"It will be a nice signature bridge for the city of Columbus," Sloan said.
On Demorest Road, residents are looking forward to the work.
"The ditches flood. There’s no curbs. There’s no lights. There’s no sidewalks," Maxwell said. "We are excited to see it happen."
Resident Kecia Reid said she hopes the extra lane will make things a little safer for her six children.
"Too much traffic," Reid said. "It probably will be more traffic, but it won’t be as congested with the extra lane. That ought to help."
[email protected]
