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[Buck87]

Plus one of the nation's biggest dragstrips sits at that intersection as well -- Norwalk Raceway Park. 

Which is now called Summit Motorsports Park. That's actually at the intersection of OH 18 and OH 601, but a lot of traffic to it uses the 20/601 intersection. There's also an R&L Carriers distribution center across from the dragstrip that generates a lot of truck traffic on 601.

I grew up not far from there and commuted daily through that intersection for years. We even lost one of my high school classmates due to an accident there. I don't know that the roundabout will fix things, and with heavy trucks going all four directions through that roundabout, it seems like that will be functionally worse.

Since you're familiar with the area, I'll mention that the bar on the corner, the Gulf Inn, will be bought by the state an torn down as part of this project.

So I just heard the other day that the Gulf Inn (NE corner of the intersection) is actually not being torn down, and that they found a way to install the roundabout while leaving it intact. The intersection has been closed for the construction for over a month now and should be open soon. It'll be interesting to see how they fit it in (maybe shifted it to the west a bit?)

[zzcarp]

So I just heard the other day that the Gulf Inn (NE corner of the intersection) is actually not being torn down, and that they found a way to install the roundabout while leaving it intact. The intersection has been closed for the construction for over a month now and should be open soon. It'll be interesting to see how they fit it in (maybe shifted it to the west a bit?)

Interestingly enough, a friend shared a local's public Facebook post with six pictures of the paving of the new roundabout. I've managed to embed them here.


This is looking west across the roundabout. The West US 20 and North and South OH 601 directional signs are clearly visible. The Gulf Inn is in the lower right. It appears they relocated the powerlines nearly directly over the eaves of the building.


This picture looks north with NB OH 601 on the left. The Gulf Inn appears to have access from a new paved frontage road to the east and a gravel driveway to OH 601 on the west. Again, the north-south powerlines also cross the eaves of the bar.


Looking west with the west half of the roundabout. It also appears the bridge over the creek was either expanded or totally reconstructed to accommodate the widening.


A top-down picture of the roundabout with north to the top. Apparently only the northbound OH 601 movement through the roundabout gets the additional concrete berming for trucks that cannot make the turning radius. The other radii must be sufficient to keep the truck's wheels on the asphalt pavement.


A closer look at the paving on the east side of the roundabout. EB US 20 is to the right.


Looking east on US 20, and the new frontage road servicing the Gulf Inn is on the left and rejoins 20 near where the concrete median ends.

[Buck87]

Thanks for the pics!

This roundabout is now open, I actually drove through it last night, though it was after dark so I didn't get the best view.

OH 601 is part of the route NASA uses to transport test articles from Mansfield Lahm Airport to Plum Brook Station Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility south of Sandusky. That is presumably the reason why this roundabout's center has an extra wide concrete berm for the 601 north movement.

Here's an example of what needs to be able to navigate across there:
(this is the Orion space capsule, which did testing in Ohio 2 years ago, and is slated to launch around the Moon on the un-crewed Artemis I mission in February)

[westerninterloper]

OH 601 is part of the route NASA uses to transport test articles from Mansfield Lahm Airport to Plum Brook Station Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility south of Sandusky. That is presumably the reason why this roundabout's center has an extra wide concrete berm for the 601 north movement.

That's very interesting - I was wondering why the roundabout was designed that way. Thank you for sharing!

[GCrites80s]

"See, the humans' circle monolith's unusual design is due to its proximity to a facility of their space program" - Martians

[The Ghostbuster]

Is Ohio taking a leaf from Wisconsin's book and embarking on a similar roundabout-building binge?

[SkyPesos]

Is Ohio taking a leaf from Wisconsin's book and embarking on a similar roundabout-building binge?

Seems like it. See US 22/3 and OH 126, trumpet interchange recently converted into a roundabout.

[frankenroad]

Is Ohio taking a leaf from Wisconsin's book and embarking on a similar roundabout-building binge?

Seems like it. See US 22/3 and OH 126, trumpet interchange recently converted into a roundabout.

Blue Ash already has a couple - and they are building 2 more on Hunt Road, one at Plainfield, and one in front of Kroger.

[Buck87]

I'm pretty sure this one at US 20 and OH 601 is the first roundabout in Huron County.

As for others in this area:

Erie County has one at the intersection of Bogart Rd and Campbell St in Perkins Township.
Sandusky County has one on US 6/OH 53 at the entrance to Terra State Community College on the west side of Fremont.

and there are a couple proposed on OH 53 in Ottawa County:
https://www.transportation.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/odot/projects/projects/110859

[SkyPesos]

Is Ohio taking a leaf from Wisconsin's book and embarking on a similar roundabout-building binge?

Seems like it. See US 22/3 and OH 126, trumpet interchange recently converted into a roundabout.

Blue Ash already has a couple - and they are building 2 more on Hunt Road, one at Plainfield, and one in front of Kroger.

Looking at the rendering of the Hunt-Plainfield roundabout, I'm not sure if turning one of the busiest intersections in Blue Ash to a roundabout would be a good idea. Start off by making the left turn green from NB Plainfield to WB Hunt longer. Every time I've driven in this intersection, I had to wait 2 cycles of green arrows before making my turn (for how short each one is, only allowing 3 cars or so to turn).

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Is Ohio taking a leaf from Wisconsin's book and embarking on a similar roundabout-building binge?

I thought it was a national trend, over the last decade.

[seicer]

A new roundabout will be built soon at the foot of the westbound ramps for US 52 and OH 93 in Ironton. It has a high crash rate and will be part of improvements to make the interchange more pedestrian friendly.

[SkyPesos]

Looks like I-71 exit 19 is under construction again... Kind of wondering how they'll even fit a direct SB Mason Montgomery to SB 71 ramp, as there's too many businesses in the area where it would go.

[paulthemapguy]

A new roundabout will be built soon at the foot of the westbound ramps for US 52 and OH 93 in Ironton. It has a high crash rate and will be part of improvements to make the interchange more pedestrian friendly.

Here's a map of the interchange: https://www.google.com/maps/@38.5388416,-82.6769382,15.5z

The westbound ramps are both the cloverleaf-like arching ramps that meet at a surface intersection along Ohio 93.
I'm surprised they're putting a roundabout here, instead of converting one of the ramps to a diamond-type ramp, so you get half of a folded diamond on the north side of US52.  That's what they ACTUALLY need to do there.  The current configuration puts a weaving problem on the overpass, as offramp traffic crosses the same space as the onramp traffic.

[frankenroad]

Looks like I-71 exit 19 is under construction again... Kind of wondering how they'll even fit a direct SB Mason Montgomery to SB 71 ramp, as there's too many businesses in the area where it would go.

I could not figure out how that picture relates to I-71 at Fields Ertel.   I think it is actually a picture of I-270 looking westbound at US-23 in Worthington.

[GCrites80s]

^It is, and it is old.

[TempoNick]

I don't know if this photo is going to come through because it's on facebook, but this might be a good idea for ODOT to employ like in situations like Ohio 15 where it really should be numbered US 23 but can't be because US 23 goes off into a different direction.

"US 23A LINK" would be a good solution.

https://facebook.com/photo.php/?fbid=10227622680896644

[Molandfreak]

I don't know if this photo is going to come through because it's on facebook, but this might be a good idea for ODOT to employ like in situations like Ohio 15 where it really should be numbered US 23 but can't be because US 23 goes off into a different direction.

"US 23A LINK" would be a good solution.

https://facebook.com/photo.php/?fbid=10227622680896644

Just move US 23 there, then US 223 is right there to take over the old route.

[Ted$8roadFan]

Story on Columbus’s massive growth.

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

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Story on Columbus’s massive growth.

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

Written by Aaron Renn. Maybe the second most famous alum from MTR, after Steve Anderson.

[Rothman]

Story on Columbus’s massive growth.

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

Written by Aaron Renn. Maybe the second most famous alum from MTR, after Steve Anderson.

*considers how post m.t.r. fame would be measured*

[seicer]

An article out of C-bus that is not paywalled...
https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2021/09/24/future-central-ohio-highway-projects.html
(list of projects that ODOT has promised money for, around Central Ohio, for the next couple of years)

I have no adblocker yet it keeps saying I do. So a little hacking around with coding and I got the list:

- A $38.4 million overhaul at Brice Road and I-270. The project would reconfigure the north half of the Brice Road interchange, construct westbound ramps to I-270 and build the south half of the Brice Road interchange.

- A $14 million update to U.S. Route 23 at the I-270 interchange at Rathmell Road, which will remove two cloverleaf ramps, construct two new signalized ramps and add a third lane to the northbound portion of U.S. Route 23.

(I think this keeps the free-flowing components for US 23 from the south, so you shouldn't encounter a traffic signal. This is in line with the eventual conversation of US 23 south of I-270 into a freeway.

- An $11.4 million update to U.S. Route 33 and Pickerington Road in Fairfield County.

(Not an interchange?)

- A $6 million project to address congestion and safety on I-71 between I-270 and I-670.

- A $5 million interchange improvement at state Route 256 and Taylor Road in Fairfield County.

- A $4.9 million widening of Alum Creek Drive near state Route 317, which will add a third through lane in each direction to the current road, a sidewalk on one side of the road and a shared-use path on the other.

- A $3 million new interchange at Big Walnut Road in Delaware County to "link the primary local east-west road corridor in the area" to I-71, according to ODOT's website.

- A $2 million corridor study of state Route 23 to identify the best way to improve the link between Toledo and Columbus in Delaware County

[GCrites80s]

Story on Columbus’s massive growth.

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

Written by Aaron Renn. Maybe the second most famous alum from MTR, after Steve Anderson.

He is a user on like every urbanist and infrastructure forum/blog.

[GCrites80s]

- An $11.4 million update to U.S. Route 33 and Pickerington Road in Fairfield County.

(Not an interchange?)

Alternative #2 was chosen by ODOT but its price tag is $40 million (edit: now it's up to $50 million). So I don't know where the other $39 million is coming from or what happened there.

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=15117.msg2563210#msg2563210

Alternatives that were under consideration including the winner:

https://www.publicinput.com/Customer/File/Full/b9a3f7e6-2cc1-4029-b3a3-2d50d6da8d53

[seicer]

Could be right-of-way purchases. That's a lot of land needed for that setup.