The head of Ohio Department of Transportation for District 1 was invited to the Lima Rotary Club to provide updates on Allen County projects.
10 projects totaling $15.8 million are planned this year in Allen County. Chris Hughes mentioned, as some may have noticed, more work on Interstate-75 is underway. Pavement repair is going on from Lima to Beaverdam. More work is planned for I-75 next year, all the way up to State Route 235. Hughes also says there are more changes to U.S. 30 and Thayer Road. A right turn lane will be added to U.S. 30 eastbound to ease traffic, while long term solutions are discussed.
"We're looking at medium range improvements," said Hughes, deputy director of ODOT District 1. "You know, what can be done in the next couple of years. We're in that planning process right now. And then long-range we're partnering with the Allen County Engineer, Brion Rhodes, as well as the Lima Allen County Regional Planning Commission to try to find long term solutions."
Also discussed was the list of 150 most dangerous intersections in Ohio. Allen county has two: State Route 309 and Napoleon Road and State Route 309 and Thayer Road. ODOT is deciding on safety improvements.
"We've just engaged a consultant to begin looking at that," Hughes said. "We have not determined what we're going to do there other than that we are going to make improvements. And so, the process there will be, we will be going out to the public for public comments and presenting alternatives."
ODOT is also working on resurfacing State Route 309 and repairing State Route 117 from Lima to Logan County.
Also at the weekly meeting today, the Lima Rotary Foundation made their quarterly donations to local non-profit organizations. Allen county DARE, High Octane Drumline and Soldiers of Honor Boxing each received $2,000. The Lima Symphony Orchestra received $3,865.
