COLUMBUS – U.S. Route 23 has been a transportation artery through the heart of Ohio since 1820, when it was known as the Columbus-Sandusky Turnpike.
Fast-forward 201 years and the highway now travels through eight states from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., to Mackinac City, Mich.
The stretch most familiar to Ohioans winds from the Ohio River through the city streets of Columbus and the countryside of southern and northern Ohio, linking the Midwest’s fastest-growing region with a major port in Toledo, as well as markets and trade partners in Michigan and Canada.
Determining the best way to keep that flow of people and goods moving is the goal of the Route 23 Connect Study, a plan to reduce or eliminate obstacles – like traffic signals and crossroads — between Columbus and Toledo.
The study is being led by the Ohio Department of Transportation, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments and the public is being asked to weigh in on possible options for improvements to U.S. 23 between Waldo in Marion County and I-270 on the northern edge of Franklin County, which routinely experiences bottlenecks, congestion, and unreliable travel times.
Three public meetings – one virtual, two in-person — will be held next month to learn more about the needs for the corridor and some initial concepts for potential solutions. The virtual meeting is scheduled for Nov. 3 and the two in-person meetings will be held at noon and 6:00 p.m. on Nov. 10 at the Delaware County Fairgrounds.
Some sections of the roadway are already over capacity and officials say traffic volume through Delaware County are expected to increase as the region continues to grow.
Along with evaluating the existing route, the study includes consideration of an upgrade to the existing traffic alignment, a combination of the existing alignment and new connections to U.S. 33 or I-71, and evaluation of options to the east or west of the highway, which officials say would avoid the nearly 40 traffic signals along the existing route.