ODOT plans new roundabouts in intersection safety package

Three new roundabouts in Wood County plus others in Henry, Fulton, and Defiance counties are part of an $86.9 million package of safety-oriented projects the Ohio Department of Transportation announced statewide.

The projects that Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and ODOT Director Jack Marchbanks announced Thursday also include “intersection improvements” at Alexis Road and North Detroit Avenue in North Toledo.

All but a handful of the 28 projects in 22 counties are at intersections, and 19 projects involve building single-lane roundabouts at mostly rural locations where ODOT said crashes are frequent, although the announcement did not include crash data.

“When it comes to our roadways, safety will always be our top priority,” Gov. DeWine said. “Our goal is to save lives by investing to improve dangerous intersections.”

The transportation department cited Federal Highway Administration studies that found a 44 percent reduction in crashes and a 90 percent reduction in serious or fatal crashes at intersections where roundabouts replaced two-way stop-sign control. When roundabouts replace a traffic signal, ODOT said, the federal studies show a 48 percent reduction in crashes and a nearly 80 percent drop in serious or fatal crashes.

Most of the projects in the plan are scheduled for construction in 2028 or later. In Wood County, roundabouts at State Rt. 64 and Bishop Road northwest of Bowling Green and at State Rts. 199 and 582 east of Dunbridge are both scheduled that year, while another at Five Point and Dunbridge roads is planned for 2029.

In Henry County, a roundabout at U.S. 6 and County Road 24, west of Ridgeville Corners, also is planned for 2029, while one at the junction of State Rts. 15 and 18 in rural Defiance County west of Defiance is slated for 2028.

All five of these are listed as direct ODOT projects. Another roundabout at State Rt. 2 and Township Road 24 in Archbold is identified as a village of Archbold project, although Kelsie Hoagland, an ODOT spokesman in Bowling Green, said the state would likely manage it.

These roundabouts’ cost estimates range between $2,530,962 for the Defiance County project to $5 million for the one at Five Point and Dunbridge.

The unspecified intersection improvements at Alexis and North Detroit are expected to cost $829,229 and are scheduled for 2027. Similar ODOT-managed projects in recent years at intersections including Airport Highway and Byrne Road, Alexis and Lewis Avenue, and Monroe Street and Talmadge Road featured pavement reconstruction, crosswalk improvements, new turn lanes, and new traffic signals.

ODOT said intersection crashes account for about 30 percent of Ohio’s annual traffic deaths, including 362 travelers last year and 104 “so far this year.”

“ODOT’s mission includes building and maintaining a transportation system that is safe. It’s a responsibility we take very seriously,” Mr. Marchbanks said. “However, we also need drivers to do some very basic things like follow the speed limit, buckle up, drive sober, and above all pay attention.”