US 33 Upgrades in Ohio

[Buck87]

The US 33 / Petzinger Rd intersection was supposed to get an RCUT this year, did that happen?

I'm having trouble finding info as to whether or not that happened. Just reference to the fact that the planned full interchange there is not yet funded and that an RCUT would be installed in 2023 to serve that intersection during the interim period. 

[GCrites]

No I was through there this week and there is no RCUT. No changes at all in at least 10 years.

[TempoNick]

Call me crazy, but why are they even fooling around with that when they can just build around it to the west and connect up with US 33, maybe even fixing that interchange with 104 so that it all flows better. Much of that land is landfill land anyway and the Alum Creek Drive area isn't exactly the high rent district.

[GCrites]

I always wondered what was back there. I might take a ride on the bike path that goes through that plot of land.

[TempoNick]

The exit being on an I-70 curve is always going to be problematic. It is always going to gum up traffic. The way I would do it, getting to 33 would be a straightaway.

See: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R4HeaiXINKC9GvLUXvkxEgBktBBVIe-R/view?usp=drivesdk

[seicer]

That area is a disaster as there are several developments that are wholly dependent on access to high speed roadways that were simply grandfathered in and incrementally upgraded over the decades. Another upgrade is coming: https://www.transportation.ohio.gov/projects/projects/113744

[TempoNick]

That area is a disaster as there are several developments that are wholly dependent on access to high speed roadways that were simply grandfathered in and incrementally upgraded over the decades. Another upgrade is coming: https://www.transportation.ohio.gov/projects/projects/113744

That's what I was referring to. Why waste money on something like this, instead of doing more freeway? Leave that stretch as is and build a new alignment.

[Buck87]

That area is a disaster as there are several developments that are wholly dependent on access to high speed roadways that were simply grandfathered in and incrementally upgraded over the decades. Another upgrade is coming: https://www.transportation.ohio.gov/projects/projects/113744

That link is the very page I'm talking about. It says at the top that construction begins in spring of 2023, and it states the only things they have funding for now are a signalized RCUT and a reconfiguration to eliminate the James Rd ramp to 104 ramp weave.

It also says that the full interchange version of the project is referred to as "phase 2" and does not currently have funding.

[GCrites]

A lot of smaller projects like this RCUT have been pushed back due to a lack of construction capacity with all the large projects currently u/c in the metro.

[TempoNick]

Wouldn't it make the most sense for US 33 to follow this route through Columbus? Existing surface street sections could become state routes.

Why don't things like this ever get done. It seems like ODOT was a much more dynamic agency back in the 1950s and 1960s.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cNsHCDuUHSoGwwxbimIErQM0a7nHVQl_/view?usp=drivesdk

[vtk]

ODOT doesn't usually relocate a route off of city streets unless there's a new bypass roadway built specifically to carry that route. If you want to discuss various reroutes that ODOT won't consider, I'll happily join you in the fictional board.

[silverback1065]

aren't state roads and us routes in cities in Ohio not maintained by ODOT?

[seicer]

ODOT maintains a website that answers this question: https://www.transportation.ohio.gov/help-center/common-topics/highway/highway

"The Ohio Department of Transportation constructs and maintains the state transportation system. Generally, we are responsible for interstate routes, as well as state and federal routes outside of municipalities.

The state of Ohio is a "home rule" state, which means that municipalities are responsible for all roadways within their own municipal limits – including roads that are part of the state or federal system. For any concerns regarding roadways within municipalities, please contact the municipality responsible."

[GCrites]

Oh really. I used to think some state routes continued through small town limits unnecessarily before ending on the edge of town because the villages needed help with funding. But I had no actual evidence in Ohio.

[TempoNick]

ODOT doesn't usually relocate a route off of city streets unless there's a new bypass roadway built specifically to carry that route. If you want to discuss various reroutes that ODOT won't consider, I'll happily join you in the fictional board.

It's not fictional, it's something that needs to be done. What's the point of having a major route that is expressway north and south of Columbus, but then meanders along city streets only to become expressway again? The roads are already in place and it's a route that makes too much sense ... four miles of 71, 104, 315 should all be signed as 33. Make the old surface roads Ohio 433 or something like that.

[sprjus4]

ODOT doesn't usually relocate a route off of city streets unless there's a new bypass roadway built specifically to carry that route. If you want to discuss various reroutes that ODOT won't consider, I'll happily join you in the fictional board.

It's not fictional, it's something that needs to be done. What's the point of having a major route that is expressway north and south of Columbus, but then meanders along city streets only to become expressway again? The roads are already in place and it's a route that makes too much sense ... four miles of 71, 104, 315 should all be signed as 33. Make the old surface roads Ohio 433 or something like that.

Something that needs to be done can still be fictional.

[silverback1065]

this explains why ohio has so many useless state routes in their cities, they are not maintained by odot.

[TempoNick]

this explains why ohio has so many useless state routes in their cities, they are not maintained by odot.

I think ODOT does pay for repaving, but not ongoing maintenance. This route might also make even more sense from the standpoint of continuity.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1drvMFFwvaj0UdT-v_AvRXgJsCEU92O4W/view?usp=drivesdk

[Bitmapped]

this explains why ohio has so many useless state routes in their cities, they are not maintained by odot.

I think ODOT does pay for repaving, but not ongoing maintenance. This route might also make even more sense from the standpoint of continuity.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1drvMFFwvaj0UdT-v_AvRXgJsCEU92O4W/view?usp=drivesdk

ODOT has a whole guide sorting out who is responsible for what at as a baseline at https://www.transportation.ohio.gov/programs/maintenance-operations/rimr/rimr-matrices. There are lots of variations because of special maintenance agreements or things specific to a project. In general, ODOT helps out a lot more with things in villages (under 5,000 population) than in cities (over 5,000 population).

[carbaugh2]

ODOT has created a page for the widening of 33 through Athens and Meigs Counties. The 2025 start dates must be closer to reality because they are having open houses for both segments, with the open house for the Five Points to Ravenswood section happening tomorrow evening. While there are references to the original designs from the early 2000s that I am sure need refreshing, I wish they had mentioned where the interchanges are supposed to be placed in the description.

https://www.transportation.ohio.gov/projects/mega-projects/mega-projects/33-expansion

[TempoNick]

Is it going to be all freeway or are they going to still maintain some at grade intersections? Is West Virginia planning anything on their side to complete the connection to I-77?

ODOT has created a page for the widening of 33 through Athens and Meigs Counties. The 2025 start dates must be closer to reality because they are having open houses for both segments, with the open house for the Five Points to Ravenswood section happening tomorrow evening. While there are references to the original designs from the early 2000s that I am sure need refreshing, I wish they had mentioned where the interchanges are supposed to be placed in the description.

https://www.transportation.ohio.gov/projects/mega-projects/mega-projects/33-expansion

[sprjus4]

Is it going to be all freeway or are they going to still maintain some at grade intersections? Is West Virginia planning anything on their side to complete the connection to I-77?

https://www.transportation.ohio.gov/projects/mega-projects/mega-projects/33-expansion

Meigs: Five Points to Ravenswood
The original roadway plans included the conceptual layout of a future four-lane highway. All intersections will remain at-grade. Right-of-way wide enough to accommodate the future four-lane road was purchased in the early 2000s. The terrain varies between hilly and rolling. Only three bridges are required along the corridor.

Meigs & Athens: Athens to Darwin
The original roadway plans included the conceptual layout of a future four-lane highway that included three proposed interchanges along the corridor. Right-of-way wide enough to accommodate the future four-lane road and interchanges was purchased in the early 2000s. The terrain is very hilly, requiring significant amounts of earthwork and bridge construction to cross it.

It appears the northern 10 miles will be built to full freeway standards. Given there's only three at grade intersections along this segment, and three interchanges proposed, that's where they'll be.

The southern portion will simply be a four lane limited access highway with those very few limited intersections... which means Ohio will probably keep a 60 mph speed limit even though the rest is virtually freeway. Not sure what their "shy away" from 65 mph or 70 mph divided highway speed limits is in the eastern part of the state, but they are very friendly with even 70 mph on non-limited-access divided highway out in the western part.

[Bitmapped]

Is it going to be all freeway or are they going to still maintain some at grade intersections? Is West Virginia planning anything on their side to complete the connection to I-77?

No, West Virginia is not building anything. There is already a functional connection to I-77 adequate for traffic on the corridor.

https://www.transportation.ohio.gov/projects/mega-projects/mega-projects/33-expansion

Meigs: Five Points to Ravenswood
The original roadway plans included the conceptual layout of a future four-lane highway. All intersections will remain at-grade. Right-of-way wide enough to accommodate the future four-lane road was purchased in the early 2000s. The terrain varies between hilly and rolling. Only three bridges are required along the corridor.

Meigs & Athens: Athens to Darwin
The original roadway plans included the conceptual layout of a future four-lane highway that included three proposed interchanges along the corridor. Right-of-way wide enough to accommodate the future four-lane road and interchanges was purchased in the early 2000s. The terrain is very hilly, requiring significant amounts of earthwork and bridge construction to cross it.

It appears the northern 10 miles will be built to full freeway standards. Given there's only three at grade intersections along this segment, and three interchanges proposed, that's where they'll be.

I don't see anything here saying they will convert the northern portion to a freeway. It just says original plans, now pushing 30 years old, included interchanges. The side roads that have at-grade access now have very low (low hundreds) traffic counts, so building interchanges seems wasteful. I suspect ODOT will keep at-grade intersections, at least at the southern two. If they do anything, overpasses seem more likely than interchanges.

[JREwing78]

I expect at some future point the Ravenswood Bridge will be twinned and tied directly into the 4-lane US-33 leading SE from Ravenswood, since it will become the bottleneck. Whoever designed and built the bridge originally never took a connection to I-77 into consideration. At least the future twin should be able to be built without significant disruption to travelers.

[seicer]

I never could find anything about why it was developed the way it was - but an article from 1980 noted that it connected with a "local service road that's crumbling into the river rather than a highway" on the Ohio side. 😒

The bridge plans on the state highway plans viewer are from 1975 and 1976, and at that time the four-lane connector to Interstate 77 did not exist. It was a bridge connecting WV Route 2 and OH Route 338. A refinement to the plans on the latter of those two links (page two), from 1978, shows the new WV Route 2 connector to Interstate 77.

Although as I'm working through the plans, it's interesting that of the three sites studied, the connector to the interstate was shown as proposed. Site B Alternate B-2 and B-3 indicate a direct connection with the connector and WV Route 2, with one being an intersection and the other being an interchange at Hemlock Road.  And more interesting is the plans originally included provisions for a toll plaza. It ultimately looks like Site B Alternate B-5 was considered.