ODOT plans projects, including roundabout

VW independent staff and submitted information

COLUMBUS — Several major road projects in Van Wert County are among many planned by the Ohio Department of Transportation this year. The official 2022 statewide list was released on Monday.

This year, Ohio will spend nearly $2 billion on 829 projects across the state. Crews will improve 661 bridges and 7,626 miles of pavement, enough to cover the distance from Columbus to London, England and back. There are 222 projects aimed directly at improving safety on Ohio roads.

Among the projects: construction of Van Wert County’s first roundabout at the current U.S. 127/U.S. 224/Marsh Road intersection, just north of the Van Wert city limits; resurfacing and repaving 1.4 miles of Grill Road, Kear Road and Bonnewitz Avenue in Van Wert; paving some existing trails, widening some trails and constructing new trails near Rotary Soccer Park, and repairing a bridge on U.S. 30 over North Creek due to a truck accident. Those projects alone will cost approximately $6 million.

Oveall, ODOT has invested nearly $6 billion into more than 2,800 projects. More than $450 million has been spent on safety projects like Safe Routes to School and nearly 400 pedestrian safety projects in Ohio’s eight largest cities where these types of crashes are far too common, and dozens of intersections with a history of serious or deadly crashes.

“We’re constantly looking for ways to better engineer our roads to ensure they’re as safe as possible for those who use them each day,” ODOT Director Jack Marchbanks said. “However, drivers have an important role to play too. We need every motorist to buckle up, obey the speed limit, drive sober, and drop the distractions.”

Work zone safety is another major focus this year. Last year, there were 4,796 crashes in Ohio work zones, 35 percent of them occurred with workers present. 30 people were killed in 26 of those crashes. ODOT workers, vehicles, and equipment were hit 154 times last year.

“The men and women working on these construction projects are doing dangerous work. Motorists can make it less dangerous by paying extra attention, moving over, and slowing down when they see our crews,” Marchbanks said.

Speed is one of the biggest issues in work zones. In 2021, the Ohio State Highway Patrol issued 6,015 citations in work zones with 41 percent being more than 20 miles per hour over the posted speed limit.

Updates on construction projects across the state can be found on the projects page on the ODOT website and at OHGO.com.