Commissioners voted to move forward with the improvement in anticipation of the intersection becoming increasingly busy due to the construction project and traffic from Shawnee High School.
“The plan was developed out of a need to slow down traffic,” Clark County Commission President Melanie Flax Wilt said. “We reviewed traffic studies from the county engineers and from ODOT (Ohio Department of Transportation) and we chose to follow their recommendation.”
MORE: Healthy economy boosts growth for company offering workforce solutions
Clark County Engineer Johnathan Burr said he has been working with the Shawnee School District to come up with a solution for the intersection for a while.
“The school wanted a traffic signal or a four-way stop there but the intersection doesn’t meet the requirements for it,” Burr said. “Even with the addition of the new school they still don’t meet requirements for it.”
Burr said a roundabout was the next best option to help slow traffic.
“With more students coming in there, and since I can’t put a four-way stop there, a roundabout is a good solution,” he said.
Brian Kuhn, superintendent for the Clark-Shawnee Local School District, said he is excited the intersection will become safer for students, staff and community members.
“We had been looking for a solution to slow traffic there, and we heard our communities concerns about that area,” Kuhn said. “Based on results of a traffic study done by the county engineers and Department of Transportation, both groups decided that a roundabout was the best option.”
The project is just beginning it’s planning phase, so residents don’t need to worry about construction starting anytime soon, Burr said.
MORE: New study: Wright-Patt, other installations have $16B impact on region
“This project is a few years out. Probably three years. It might be sooner, it might be later, it just depends,” Burr said.
Clark County will be receiving 100 percent of the money for the project through federal funding with the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Clark County Transportation Coordinating Committee, said Scott Schmid, transportation director with the Clark County TCC. Funding will cap at $1.2 million.
Clark-Shawnee hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 13 to celebrate the building of the new elementary school.
Clark-Shawnee voters approved a $37 million bond issue in August of 2017 to build a new elementary school at the corner of East Possum Road and Selma Road, as well as renovate the middle/high school.
About the Author