Ohio 161 Expansion for New Intel Plant

[TempoNick]

The newspaper articles I've been reading about the new $20 billion dollar Intel plant coming to New Albany say that the state of Ohio has committed money to expanding Ohio 161. I'm assuming that means additional lanes and/or exits? Anybody have information on this?

[SkyPesos]

I think OH 161 may be 6 laned deeper into New Albany, as it current narrows to 4 lanes just east of the Hamilton Rd exit (barely entering New Albany). I don't know the exact location of the Intel plant, so not sure if a new exit will be needed or not.

[ibagli]

The plant is going to be off of Mink Street, which had an exit added in 2017, so I assume it means six lanes at least to there.

I think there would eventually be implications for US-62 between New Albany and Johnstown as well. I'm not sure how literally to take the renderings on this, but they show Green Chapel Road and Mink Street both being six lanes with medians near the site, and I imagine there would be quite a bit of traffic trying to access it from the west.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

The newspaper articles I've been reading about the new $20 billion dollar Intel plant coming to New Albany say that the state of Ohio has committed money to expanding Ohio 161. I'm assuming that means additional lanes and/or exits? Anybody have information on this?

Beyond ODOT director Jack "I'm a radio DJ on Sundays" Marchbanks stating that Oh 161 would be widen to 6 lanes out to the chip plant, I haven't heard as to any other plans for roads.

[TempoNick]

Beyond ODOT director Jack "I'm a radio DJ on Sundays" Marchbanks stating that Oh 161 would be widen to 6 lanes out to the chip plant, I haven't heard as to any other plans for roads.

I think it needs to be widened a few miles east of there because of the potential bottlenecks created when you go from 3 to 2 lanes.

[skluth]

Beyond ODOT director Jack "I'm a radio DJ on Sundays" Marchbanks stating that Oh 161 would be widen to 6 lanes out to the chip plant, I haven't heard as to any other plans for roads.

I think it needs to be widened a few miles east of there because of the potential bottlenecks created when you go from 3 to 2 lanes.

All that's needed is to replace those stoplights at the end of the Mink Rd ramps with nice modern roundabouts! 

[Buck87]

I wonder which way truck traffic from the plant to I-70 east will go and vice versa.

Google likes OH 161 to OH 37 as the fastest route. 161-270 would include some out of the way backtracking but would be on freeways the whole time. OH 310 and/or Mink Rd to US 40 are more direct but aren't the best quality roads and go through more congested areas.

Do big deals like this one ever include stipulations as to which way truck traffic should move in situations like this?

Edit to add, I now notice that there is already an industrial park just to the west of this future plant, so I would imagine that typical traffic patterns for trucks going to and from this area is already well established.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Beyond ODOT director Jack "I'm a radio DJ on Sundays" Marchbanks stating that Oh 161 would be widen to 6 lanes out to the chip plant, I haven't heard as to any other plans for roads.

I think it needs to be widened a few miles east of there because of the potential bottlenecks created when you go from 3 to 2 lanes.

All that's needed is to replace those stoplights at the end of the Mink Rd ramps with nice modern roundabouts! 

Those will be coming (within the decade)

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

I wonder which way truck traffic from the plant to I-70 east will go and vice versa.

Google likes OH 161 to OH 37 as the fastest route. 161-270 would include some out of the way backtracking but would be on freeways the whole time. OH 310 and/or Mink Rd to US 40 are more direct but aren't the best quality roads and go through more congested areas.

Do big deals like this one ever include stipulations as to which way truck traffic should move in situations like this?

I'm sure there will be promises made (and maybe contracts drawn) in regards to any truck traffic that could go south through Pataskala. A bypass, or rerouted Oh 310 would be ideal, but Pataskala is so sprawled out, where would ODOT build a road without eating up exaggerated land costs (due to a myriad of housing)
(They wouldn't make the trucks go east to Newark and then follow Oh 79 south to I-70, would they?)

[The Ghostbuster]

It's too bad Ohio isn't interested in any new Interstate corridors or the OH 161/37/16 corridor would be an ideal corridor for a 3di. If the at-grades on 16 at Dayton Rd., Marne Rd., and the Marne/Brownsville Rd. SE intersections were eliminated, among other upgrades, would have been sufficient for a Columbus-to-Trinway Interstate corridor.

[SkyPesos]

It's too bad Ohio isn't interested in any new Interstate corridors or the OH 161/37/16 corridor would be an ideal corridor for a 3di. If the at-grades on 16 at Dayton Rd., Marne Rd., and the Marne/Brownsville Rd. SE intersections were eliminated, among other upgrades, would have been sufficient for a Columbus-to-Trinway Interstate corridor.

I remember reading a while ago that long-term plans are for a 4 lane expressway between Columbus and Pittsburgh along OH 161/OH 16/US 36/US 250/US 22. Not sure if that idea died out or not, but if "I-73" in Ohio gives a clue to anything, I'm guessing so.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

It's too bad Ohio isn't interested in any new Interstate corridors or the OH 161/37/16 corridor would be an ideal corridor for a 3di. If the at-grades on 16 at Dayton Rd., Marne Rd., and the Marne/Brownsville Rd. SE intersections were eliminated, among other upgrades, would have been sufficient for a Columbus-to-Trinway Interstate corridor.

I remember reading a while ago that long-term plans are for a 4 lane expressway between Columbus and Pittsburgh along OH 161/OH 16/US 36/US 250/US 22. Not sure if that idea died out or not, but if "I-73" in Ohio gives a clue to anything, I'm guessing so.

And this shocks you?!
http://www.roadfan.com/ohiomaps.html (7 different state maps of highway proposals from 1946-1974 & some 1962 Rand McNally)

[TempoNick]

I remember reading a while ago that long-term plans are for a 4 lane expressway between Columbus and Pittsburgh along OH 161/OH 16/US 36/US 250/US 22. Not sure if that idea died out or not, but if "I-73" in Ohio gives a clue to anything, I'm guessing so.

It doesn't look like such a great route because you have to go North to Coshocton and then you kind of have to go south to Steubenville and Pittsburgh. It would make more sense taking Ohio 16 to US 22 and then US 22 to Pittsburgh, but I doubt such a road is needed.

US 23 being all freeway is definitely needed.

[Ted$8roadFan]

Story about Columbus following the Intel announcement.

https://www.governing.com/community/america-discovers-columbus-ohio

[kalvado]

A bit late for the discussion... A nearby Global Foundries big fab (Fab 8 in Malta NY) is located off I-87. Fab itself is served by 2-lane roads. A few of those were purpose built as the site was a mostly greenfield development, but nothing really major. Interstate didn't get too much extra traffic.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

A second outerbelt? Intel growth forcing Ohio transportation execs to think big
NEWARK − The development coming to Licking County has pushed transportation planners into overdrive. The question, though, is which roads should be widened and improved.

Officials can't wait to see where traffic goes to determine where money should be spent. But they don't want to guess wrong and not improve roads that need it.

The $20 billion Intel Corporation computer chip manufacturing facility just south of Johnstown has forced planners, consultants, city, township, county and state officials to all look into their crystal ball and predict future transportation needs. It's a challenging and expensive game, and everybody is playing.

The latest long-term discussion has been over the potential need for a second outer belt around Columbus, in addition to Ohio 270. Jim Roberts, chairman of the Grow Licking County infrastructure committee, said a consultant mentioned it at a recent meeting.

"It's just kind of a vague concept now," Roberts said. "It's an idea that's out there."

Jack Marchbanks, director of the Ohio Department of Transportation, confirmed an outer outer belt has been discussed lately, but it's not a new concept.

"It's been discussed going all the way back to the 1990s," Marchbanks said. "The idea has come up over and over again. It's in the exploratory stage. It's been discussed. There's no official study yet. No decisions have been made."

Marchbanks said the Columbus metro area kind of extends from Mansfield to Chillicothe and "now it's actually filling out to those boundaries."

The ODOT boss said the goal is to develop a transportation system that's safe and reliable, helps people get to and from work and works for people in emergencies. He said it's difficult to plan far in advance, but that's ODOT's job.

"It's our responsibility to be scouts and look at future needs," Marchbanks said. "It has to be fact-based. We know traffic is going to grow. "˜If you build it, they will come' is not a responsible use of assets."

Matt Hill, director of the Licking County Area Transportation Study, said the latest talk of the need for another Columbus outer belt is not new.

"This is like the third time I've heard it discussed (in the last 20 years),"  Hill said. "Somebody out there wants a better connection to I-71 north."

Licking County transportation planning
Bill Lozier, the Licking County Transportation Improvement District projects director, said the TID is reviewing traffic projections from MS Consultants based on land use plans from Monroe, Jersey and St. Albans townships around the Intel development.

"What we want to prepare for is opening day for Intel in 2025," Lozier said. "The raw numbers for the new zoning when it's fully built out is staggering. It's truly like dropping a new city out in the cornfields.

"The old rule of thumb was once you get over the threshold of 2,000 cars a day, it kind of becomes a higher-class road you need to treat differently," Lozier said. "That's an old-school rule of thumb. But now we're talking on (Intel's) opening day, a lot of these roads are going to be hitting 4,000 or 5,000."

Lozier said the projections are for 2050, so it's not all happening at once. He said the TID seeks to coordinate with ODOT and combine funding sources to address the massive needs. Lozier said the deadline for Ohio TID grant applications is in March. It received $500,000 last year for design around Intel.


"We don't have a choice. We're going to have to pick a couple routes that lead into Intel on the local road network and focus on those," Lozier said. "The rest of them are going to have to evolve over time."

Licking County Engineer Jared Knerr said Intel has said 90% of the construction traffic will use Ohio 161 to Beech Road to Jug Street and then onto Haul Road, the new Harrison Road-Clover Valley connector.

Soon after the Intel announcement a year ago, ODOT announced plans to widen Ohio 161 in Franklin County, but in September then State Sen. Jay Hottinger said the State Controlling Board approved the distribution of $13 million to expand Ohio 161 from Columbus to Newark.

New Albany, which has annexed much of Jersey Township plans to make improvements to Green Chapel Road and Mink Street.

In April, then State Rep. Mark Fraizer presented roadway plan improvements showing Green Chapel Road, which separates Jersey and Monroe townships, becoming a five-lane highway from Mink Street to Clover Valley Road by December of this year. Mink Street was also slated to become five lanes from Green Chapel Road to Ohio 161 by April 2024.

Knerr said the city of New Albany is responsible for Mink Street from Worthington Road, south of Ohio 161, to Green Chapel, according to road maintenance agreements. New Albany is similarly responsible for Green Chapel, from Mink to Clover Valley Road. Knerr said he's seen plans for Green Chapel to become five lanes, but also seen plans for it to become three lanes. He could not confirm the construction timelines.


The transportation needs are not confined to the immediate area of Jersey, Monroe and St. Albans townships.

Harrison Township Trustee Mark Van Buren said plans need to be made for the Ohio 158-Interstate 70 interchange and north on Outville Road in the township. He said two half-million square foot warehouses will be built on a 280-acre farm in the area.

"We have a blank canvass," Van Buren said. "I can see all this traffic coming to one spot and 10 years from now, how do we fix it?"

Harrison Township is located immediately east of Pataskala and south of St. Albans Township. The Ohio 158 interchange in Kirkersville is close to the townships of Harrison, Etna and Union, so Van Buren said the TID could get involved in a collaborative effort.

Lozier said the TID continues working with Newark and Heath on the Thornwood corridor, which will take traffic from Thornwood Crossing to Ridgely Tract Road and onto Ohio 79.

Jared Lane, the city of Heath director of building and zoning, said the southern part of Thornwood Drive, around Beaver Run Road, has become a focus.

"We've met with three foreign companies wanting to come to that area," Lane said. "There's a ton of interest in that area."

Lozier said there may be a need to widen Refugee Road between Ohio 310 and Etna Parkway.

"Congestion is building on 310,"  Lozier said. "During the morning peaks, 310 northbound at U.S. 40 is backing up. When traffic finds out it can bypass Pataskala downtown, the concern is it going to go west over to Mink and go north somehow."

kmallett@newarkadvocate.com
Twitter: @kmallett1958

[carbaugh2]

It's too bad Ohio isn't interested in any new Interstate corridors or the OH 161/37/16 corridor would be an ideal corridor for a 3di. If the at-grades on 16 at Dayton Rd., Marne Rd., and the Marne/Brownsville Rd. SE intersections were eliminated, among other upgrades, would have been sufficient for a Columbus-to-Trinway Interstate corridor.

I remember reading a while ago that long-term plans are for a 4 lane expressway between Columbus and Pittsburgh along OH 161/OH 16/US 36/US 250/US 22. Not sure if that idea died out or not, but if "I-73" in Ohio gives a clue to anything, I'm guessing so.

And this shocks you?!
http://www.roadfan.com/ohiomaps.html (7 different state maps of highway proposals from 1946-1974 & some 1962 Rand McNally)

It's not completely dead, just mostly.

https://omegadistrict.org/cpcorridor/

I always thought it would be beneficial to have a single US route number to cover the full corridor, especially with the route number musical chairs we have in Granville and Coshocton. I also see utiliity in upgrading the corridor to at least 4-lane divided highway between Dresden and Coshocton since ODOT does not see enough return on investment to widen I-70 to 6 lanes through Zanesville. This would allow Intel and other New Albany Commerce Park traffic another high-speed corridor to access I-77 to the east.

I have seen multiple questions/comments about north-south connectors between New Albany and Newark. Utilizing 310 with a Pataskala bypass is not viable due to all of the sprawl (residential followed by commercial) in and around Pataskala on both sides of the city. I don't see 37 getting widened south of Granville with the exception of spot left turn lanes due to local pushback (the village and township have signs up designating 37 as a scenic byway). Thornwood Drive, which runs along the western edges of Newark and Heath, is a project that Licking County (LCATS) wants to see completed, and the Thornwood Connector bridge project will begin later this year; however, the intent of that project is to open up more land for factories using a 4-lane boulevard as opposed to conducting traffic between 16 and I-70. The only viable solution at this point is to have parallel high-speed corridors to I-77; we are simply too late for a connector.

For the remaining Newark area traffic lights (Dayton Rd, Marne Rd, and Licking Valley/Brownsville Rds going west to east), it makes the most sense to construct an overpass at Dayton Road and install interchanges at the Marne and Licking Valley/Brownsville intersections. While Dayton Rd has much more traffic than Marne Rd, constructing an overpass will allow for better spacing between intersections. I would switch the suggestions for Dayton and Marne Roads if there weren't already an exit at O'Bannon Avenue.

[3467]

It's interesting that the sixties maps are still the base in Ohio and Illinois. Also Iowa and Missouri .

[Bitmapped]

It's interesting that the sixties maps are still the base in Ohio and Illinois. Also Iowa and Missouri .

Not in Ohio. The state went to GIS-based mapping in 1995 and completely replaced the previous base.

[skluth]

It's interesting that the sixties maps are still the base in Ohio and Illinois. Also Iowa and Missouri .

The Illinois highway map is definitely GIS-based. It's pretty obvious in places like the I-88/355 area where a live cartographer would have offset the highways where they run parallel. And the south end of I-355? Good grief is that bad. Illinois may have used their existing hard copy map as a starting point, but it looks like centerline data to me.

Missouri using GIS is even more obvious. Here's their city inset for St Louis. Just look at those interchanges along any freeway; if that's not GIS that's from the worst cartographer in history. The full state can be found here.

[3467]

Sorry I meant from a planning perspective that they still tend to base most road expansions in those general corridors

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

More smoke in regards constructing some sort of highway between I-71, the Intel plant site, and I-70, around the NE quadrant of Metro Columbus.
Something (an Ohio Super 2, or a divided highway, or freeway quality road) is going to get built between 70 & 71 before this decade is over. Most likely down to US 33 as well.

https://www.thereportingproject.org/road-through-licking-county-being-discussed-to-bypass-congestion-in-johnstown-near-intel-site-and-connect-with-i-71-and-i-70/

[TempoNick]

More smoke in regards constructing some sort of highway between I-71, the Intel plant site, and I-70, around the NE quadrant of Metro Columbus.
Something (an Ohio Super 2, or a divided highway, or freeway quality road) is going to get built between 70 & 71 before this decade is over. Most likely down to US 33 as well.

https://www.thereportingproject.org/road-through-licking-county-being-discussed-to-bypass-congestion-in-johnstown-near-intel-site-and-connect-with-i-71-and-i-70/

Good. It's something that is necessary. I hope I live to see it.

You can see how everything is coming together with the four laning of US 33 all the way to the West Virginia border. It will be a good connection between Michigan, Toledo and I-77 going south.

[3467]

What does Ohio consider a super 2 ?

[TempoNick]

What does Ohio consider a super 2 ?

It's been a while since I've driven that stretch, but US 33 as you get close to the West Virginia border looks like like an interstate highway, except that only the two lanes on one side of it is paved. The other side is grass. All the overpasses and interchanges are there that need to be there, if I remember correctly. I don't know how long this stretches, but it's pretty obvious that it was built with the idea of putting two more Lanes in at some point in mind.