Ohio

[wanderer2575]

I was in Fremont today so I took a slight detour north to check out the new roundabout at OH 53 and the Turnpike.

As you approach it on 4 lane 53 going northbound, the left lane is signed for the Turnpike and the right lane is signed for 53 north. Both lanes enter the roundabout, which has two lanes just on that side until the right lane splits off to 53 north. The rest of the roundabout is one lane. 

Whatever paint they used for the white lines is already really badly faded and needs redone. Not sure what the deal is there, it was just installed sometime last year.

(1)  The first paint application seems to never stick very well to new pavement, anywhere.

(2)  Same issue as with any roundabout I've driven, or any curve for that matter:  Idiot drivers can't stay between the lines, thus wearing down the paint.

[JoePCool14]

I was in Fremont today so I took a slight detour north to check out the new roundabout at OH 53 and the Turnpike.

As you approach it on 4 lane 53 going northbound, the left lane is signed for the Turnpike and the right lane is signed for 53 north. Both lanes enter the roundabout, which has two lanes just on that side until the right lane splits off to 53 north. The rest of the roundabout is one lane. 

Whatever paint they used for the white lines is already really badly faded and needs redone. Not sure what the deal is there, it was just installed sometime last year.

(1)  The first paint application seems to never stick very well to new pavement, anywhere.

(2)  Same issue as with any roundabout I've driven, or any curve for that matter:  Idiot drivers can't stay between the lines, thus wearing down the paint.

Makes me wonder why a second application of paint isn't done a bit after initial application. I understand it adds labor and material costs, but maybe it offers better value in the long-term.

[seicer]

ODOT is adding exit numbers to US 52. I spotted a "Exit 152" exit panel for the Jesse Stuart Bridge exit near Franklin Furnace, but no exit tabs on the signs yet.

[countysigns]

ODOT studying revamp of Airport Highway interchange

From the Toledo Blade, another diverging diamond may be in the works for an I-475/US-23 interchange.
https://www.toledoblade.com/local/transportation/2022/05/21/odot-studying-revamp-of-airport-highway-interchange-transportation-springfield-township/stories/20220520252

[tigerwings]

Toledo Blade paywall alert

[The Ghostbuster]

The US 30 freeway extension in Canton may be a go, or it may be in trouble: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/u-s-route-30-project-facing-important-deadline/ar-AAXJ6Xn?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=225ac65fd7c74dc6b35160a80e0b7272. Which do all of you think is more likely?

[plain]

Hopefully it'll get the funds in time. I'm familiar with that area and I agree with anyone who says it's needed. It will also further solidify US 30 as a good alternative to the Turnpike.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

The US 30 freeway extension in Canton may be a go, or it may be in trouble: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/u-s-route-30-project-facing-important-deadline/ar-AAXJ6Xn?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=225ac65fd7c74dc6b35160a80e0b7272. Which do all of you think is more likely?

It will go the way of I-73 in Ohio.

[Bitmapped]

The US 30 freeway extension in Canton may be a go, or it may be in trouble: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/u-s-route-30-project-facing-important-deadline/ar-AAXJ6Xn?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=225ac65fd7c74dc6b35160a80e0b7272. Which do all of you think is more likely?

It will go the way of I-73 in Ohio.

I figure the extension to SR 44 will happen. It eliminates the largest traffic bottleneck along the corridor and the turns through East Canton, which are problematic for trucks. IMHO, they should just have the end of the freeway tie directly in to existing US 30 rather than ending at an interchange as planned since it's unlikely anything will extend beyond that. After that, re-route US 30 onto SR 154 and SR 11 east of Lisbon and call it a day.

There are some locations that could benefit from turn lanes or spot improvements. Two-lane bypasses of Lisbon and Minerva would be nice, but there's not really enough traffic along the corridor to necessitate them.

[countysigns]

Toledo Blade paywall alert

Toledo Blade paywall alert

Forgot about the paywall...here's the article:

Diverging diamonds evidently are becoming a traffic engineer's best friend.

The Ohio Department of Transportation has set up an online open house as it contemplates altering Airport Highway's interchange on I-475/U.S. 23 in Springfield Township with an eye toward reducing crashes and congestion there.

But its district planners in Bowling Green have already stated what their preference is for such a project: crossing Airport's lanes over to the left in the same sort of diverging-diamond interchange layout ODOT contractors built several years ago at the same freeway's State Rt. 25 interchange in Perrysburg.

According to a summary of the "virtual open house"  that began Monday, Airport Highway – which carries State Rt. 2 through the area – had 576 crashes between McCord and Holland-Sylvania roads between 2017 and 2019. That ranked it No. 1 on ODOT's Highway Safety Improvement Improvement Program list of "suburban nonfreeway segments,"  with two-thirds of the crashes rear-enders and 30 percent causing injuries.

Materials are available to view on the feasibility study's web page, accessible under "Featured Projects"  on the ODOT District 2 website . The formal public comment period ends June 16.

No construction funding has been allocated for the interchange, and alternative designs remain on the table. The earliest possible year for construction is 2026, according to ODOT's online materials.

"The goal of the feasibility study is to identify a preferred alternative which will improve safety and reduce congestion at the interchange,"  said Kelsie Hoagland, a spokesman at the Bowling Green office. "...Once a preferred alternative is identified, we will pursue applying for funding."

ODOT is holding only a virtual open-house for this proposal, she said, because none of the options studied for the Airport interchange would require condemning any land, whereas the Perrysburg interchange designs include some land acquisition.

The existing Airport interchange has ample land to accommodate any of the alternatives considered in a preliminary feasibility study, she said. Construction of a multi-use path 10 feet wide along Airport Highway's north side would require some temporary right-of-way.

Along with revising the interchange and creating the path, ODOT intends to reconfigure traffic on Spring Meadows Drive to create two left-turn lanes, which will allow more vehicles headed to I-475 to exit the Spring Meadows Place shopping area during each green light. The current right-turn lane would become marked for straight-across traffic as well.

A separate ODOT plan to place a median divider on McCord just north of its intersection with Airport – intended to reduce congestion and crashes associated with left turns at Centers and Spring Valley drives and a Buckeye Broadband driveway just north of Airport – has been delayed after nobody bid on a construction contract advertised this spring, said Kacey Young, ODOT's district capital programs administrator.

The McCord work "is going to be packaged with another project, and will likely occur in 2023,"  Ms. Young said. "The goal is to have the work occur while school is out during summer 2023."

Nearby merchants have protested that shutting off left turns onto Spring Valley, in particular, would discourage customers by forcing them to take longer routes and add traffic in front of Springfield High School.

Airport in the Spring Meadows area has long been one of metro Toledo's busiest roadways and congestion hot spots.

Construction of its median between I-475 and Holloway Road two decades ago eliminated crashes and delays related to shoppers turning left into and out of commercial driveways but was similarly controversial among some merchants. At that time, the ramp from southbound I-475/U.S. 23 to westbound Airport was modified to replace its high-speed merge onto Airport with a traffic light.

The newly proposed interchange designs realign all of the ramps there and eliminate two cloverleaves.

Besides examining a diverging diamond, ODOT planners looked at two other options for the Airport Highway ramp intersections: a "tight urban diamond"  that is more traditional and a double-roundabout layout similar to one completed last year at a new I-475/U.S. 23 interchange for Dorr Street several miles to the north. But according to the state's online presentation, they are disfavored because they provide "minimal safety improvements"  and the roundabout option would also have "failing operations."

The multi-use path will be built along Airport's north side between West Mall Drive and Holland-Sylvania regardless of which ramp layout is ultimately chosen, ODOT said.

Construction of metro Toledo's second diverging diamond is slated to begin later this year on U.S. 20A as part of an expansion of I-475's Salisbury/Dussel interchange, and a proposal for a third at the U.S. 20/23 interchange on I-75 in Perrysburg was introduced to the public in late March during a live open-house meeting at Perrysburg Junior High School.

A diverging diamond layout works by crossing opposing traffic from the standard right-hand side of the roadway to the left at a freeway interchange between the ramp intersections on either side of the freeway. Doing that allows left turns to and from the freeway ramps to be made without crossing opposing traffic lanes, which reduces both the number of potential "conflict points"  at the interchange and the number of traffic-signal phases required to handle all traffic movements.

Although the left-hand running discomforts some drivers, the diverging diamond on Route 25 has been generally well-received since its completion several years ago.

Less popular has been the "single-point urban interchange"  design ODOT used when it recently rebuilt the Central Avenue interchange on I-475/U.S. 23 in Sylvania Township, but ODOT did not even consider that design for the Airport interchange.

[skluth]

(Rest of article deleted)

Less popular has been the "single-point urban interchange"  design ODOT used when it recently rebuilt the Central Avenue interchange on I-475/U.S. 23 in Sylvania Township, but ODOT did not even consider that design for the Airport interchange.

This is the first time I've ever heard anyone not like SPUIs. Is there some reason locals don't like this SPUI? I can understand not liking the 100 ft hitch to the south, but the exit itself looks quite nice.

[wanderer2575]

ODOT studying revamp of Airport Highway interchange

From the Toledo Blade, another diverging diamond may be in the works for an I-475/US-23 interchange.
https://www.toledoblade.com/local/transportation/2022/05/21/odot-studying-revamp-of-airport-highway-interchange-transportation-springfield-township/stories/20220520252

Given the very nearby traffic signals on both sides of this interchange, I do not understand how a DDI would do anything to relieve congestion.

This is the first time I've ever heard anyone not like SPUIs. Is there some reason locals don't like this SPUI? I can understand not liking the 100 ft hitch to the south, but the exit itself looks quite nice.

SPUIs have three-phase signals; DDIs have two-phase signals.  I would think the former leads to more congestion than the latter.

[GCrites]

^That's something I noticed right away the first time I used a DDI. Cuts way down on backups both on the cross street and the ramps.

[Mr_Northside]

Less popular has been the "single-point urban interchange"  design ODOT used when it recently rebuilt the Central Avenue interchange on I-475/U.S. 23 in Sylvania Township, but ODOT did not even consider that design for the Airport interchange.

This is the first time I've ever heard anyone not like SPUIs. Is there some reason locals don't like this SPUI? I can understand not liking the 100 ft hitch to the south, but the exit itself looks quite nice.

I can't vouch for local sentiment at that particular interchange, but I didn't read that to mean people didn't like it, just that SPUI's have become a less popular option for ODOT (and, I think probably a lot of DOT's).   I don't think (and am just guessing) it's anything against the operational nature of them, just that they seem like they are not as cost-effective (usually requiring more overpass/underpass space to accomodate the ramps) as a DDI.

[skluth]

Less popular has been the "single-point urban interchange"  design ODOT used when it recently rebuilt the Central Avenue interchange on I-475/U.S. 23 in Sylvania Township, but ODOT did not even consider that design for the Airport interchange.

This is the first time I've ever heard anyone not like SPUIs. Is there some reason locals don't like this SPUI? I can understand not liking the 100 ft hitch to the south, but the exit itself looks quite nice.

I can't vouch for local sentiment at that particular interchange, but I didn't read that to mean people didn't like it, just that SPUI's have become a less popular option for ODOT (and, I think probably a lot of DOT's).   I don't think (and am just guessing) it's anything against the operational nature of them, just that they seem like they are not as cost-effective (usually requiring more overpass/underpass space to accommodate the ramps) as a DDI.

Cost is definitely an issue with SPUI's with their longer/wider viaducts. Budget issues favor DDIs and diamonds over SPUIs and anything with flyovers. I think the DDI will become more popular as it's especially useful where almost all traffic is entering and exiting the freeway and little is going from one side to the other, especially in commuter suburbs. But I still prefer SPUIs more often than any other interchange with lights.

[cl94]

The issue with SPUIs is cost. They virtually always require a new bridge and said bridge needs to be significantly longer/wider than what it is replacing. Despite this, they are often the most efficient option for an interchange with a large amount of through traffic on the surface road.

DDIs are becoming more popular due to cost. They fit within the footprint of the existing interchange, can use existing bridges, and only require two signal phases. But they are only particularly effective if the majority of traffic on the surface road is entering/exiting the freeway. Get a lot of through traffic and it can become interesting. See the 7-lane bridge at the NY 17/NY 32 DDI in Orange County, NY. Still cheaper than a SPUI and nothing else would have fit there, but that reeks of "this is the cheapest option that worked, not matter how crazy it is".

Edit: add state

[roadman65]

Right DDI can still use the center bridge piers in which a SPUI must be open in the middle.

[countysigns]

(Rest of article deleted)

Less popular has been the "single-point urban interchange"  design ODOT used when it recently rebuilt the Central Avenue interchange on I-475/U.S. 23 in Sylvania Township, but ODOT did not even consider that design for the Airport interchange.

This is the first time I've ever heard anyone not like SPUIs. Is there some reason locals don't like this SPUI? I can understand not liking the 100 ft hitch to the south, but the exit itself looks quite nice.

The locals do not like the SPUI because they are afraid of crashing into each other on the turns, especially during winter when the lane lines are not visible.  Another issue, I guess, is visibility.  The bridge has a hump in the middle, making visibility an issue (albeit minor IMO) and the locals are afraid of crashing into each other on the left turns.

[roadman65]

Why does US 40 briefly become a two way street between two one way couplets in Springfield?  I think that is unusual considering no rail or rivers in between.
https://goo.gl/maps/gRWdv84o7MW229cX7

[seicer]

It wasn't like that originally. The construction of the Mercy Health medical campus led to this decision. They wanted to have the busy roadway routed slightly to the south to remove through traffic that close to the hospital and to reduce noise impacts.

[GCrites]

And as you can see by clicking around on the westbound lanes or switching to 2007, they wiped out a whole neighborhood of houses to do it.

[roadman65]

I see. Displaced a lot of folks to build that hospital. Talk about freeways destroying neighborhoods.

[GCrites]

Oh, hospitals do wat dey want! People don't like it? Doesn't matter

[TempoNick]

Why does US 40 briefly become a two way street between two one way couplets in Springfield?  I think that is unusual considering no rail or rivers in between.
https://goo.gl/maps/gRWdv84o7MW229cX7

Because I-70 is just a mile or two to the South and nobody really cares about US 40 anymore. In fact, US 40 is a two-lane road from Richmond Indiana for a long way into Ohio, I think it's two-lane almost all the way to Springfield.

Now the real question is why is US 40 so ugly looking between Indianapolis and Richmond?

[epzik8]

The newest item on my roadgeek bucket list is to get all of 50 between Cincinnati and DC