LIMA, OH (WLIO) - The Ohio Department of Transportation sought public input Tuesday evening after presenting four roundabout construction options for a busy Allen County intersection.
ODOT plans to build the roundabout at the intersection of State Route 501 and State Route 117, just west of Lima. Currently, ODOT has four roundabout options, all totaling at or a little over $3 million. Options 1 and 3 would be conventional circular roundabouts with option 1 constructed just south of the existing intersection with option 3 centered over the existing intersection. Options 2 and 4 would be unconventional roundabouts, with option 2 being oblong in shape and option 4 being avocado-shaped. Despite ODOT constructing left-turn lanes and realigning the roadways to try and curb accidents back in 2016, officials say further action is needed to reduce crashes.
"The crash pattern that developed kind of transferred from a rear-end to a left-turn T-bone is what we are seeing today, and that can be attributed to those left-turn lanes where people are sitting there, maybe blocking the sight view of those wanting to make a left turn, so what we are here today is to talk about a roundabout, and we believe that a roundabout will solve that left-turn T-bone crash pattern that we're seeing today," says Rob White, Capital Programs Administrator, ODOT District 1.
If you were unable to attend Tuesday night's meeting, you can still submit your comments about the roundabout to ODOT. You can mail your comments or questions to Morgan Gerdeman at the ODOT District 1 facility at 1885 North McCollough Street in Lima. You can also email Morgan.Gerdeman@dot.ohio.gov or call (419) 999-6869. All comments are due by May 23rd.
