Commissioners hope county has input in proposed roundabout
Holmes County engineer Chris Young discusses some of the options and concerns centering around the pair of roundabouts being proposed just west of Berlin. Young has every confidence ODOT officials will work together with Holmes County leaders to create the safest and most effective options.
On Thursday, May 29, Holmes County Commissioners invited several key players to the table to discuss the county’s options in helping Ohio Department of Transportation District 11 invest in the best possible plan for the intersections of state Route 62/39, state Route 557 and County Road 201 just west of Berlin.
The highly debated and discussed proposition to place a pair of roundabouts at the intersections has been at the top of the commissioners’ minds for some time. Recently, ODOT conducted a community meeting, hosting the event along with the firm Kimley-Horn and Associates.
During that meeting ODOT rolled out five different alternatives for the double intersections, ODOT having done plenty of work exploring all the options and outlining the positives and negatives of each plan.
While the commissioners had hoped to place traffic lights at each intersection, ODOT’s studies showed the roundabouts were the best options.
However, the commissioners felt there were still too many unanswered questions surrounding the proposed plan for two roundabouts, mainly because so much bicycle, buggy, semitruck and farming equipment utilizes the roads in Holmes County.
The invitees to the meeting included Holmes County engineer Chris Young, assistant engineer Josh Galbraith, East Holmes Fire and EMS Chief John Schlabach, Holmes County Emergency Management Agency Director Jason Troyer, and Jon Mast, owner of B&L Transport, who brought expert knowledge on the travails of driving semis through challenging areas.
Commissioner Joe Miller said Young set up a meeting with Franklin County Commissioners to get their input on their experience with roundabouts.
“We looked at a lot of roundabouts there, and we watched a lot of them operate,” Miller said. “I think we learned a lot. But everywhere we’ve asked, they didn’t have an answer as to if they were safe for bicycles and buggies.”
Miller said that if the county gets shut down on adding traffic lights rather than roundabouts, then the current alternative five plan must be altered, one main point of connection being making the roundabouts wide enough to accommodate alternative forms of travel pertinent in Holmes County.
“(Alternative five) needs to be straightened out, and there is ample room to do that,” Miller said. “The roundabouts have to be moved (north).”
While ODOT has opened up lines of communication that allow the public to voice its opinions, the point of this meeting was to figure out if the county had any type of voice and power to make sure the plans were the best possible solution.
Young said based on the county’s dealing with ODOT in the past, he has every expectation that once ODOT makes its final decision on a plan, it will come back to the county to get vital input in figuring out many of the details that make up the blueprint.
The commissioners are promoting the two-traffic light system, noting the traffic light has worked well at the intersection of state Routes 39 and 754 west of West Holmes High School.
Young said this particular situation isn’t ideal for that concept because traffic flows down three hills with limited sight and ability to stop, something ODOT said would create more substantial crash sites and injuries.
“There will be more accidents with the two lights system,” Young said. “It’s not a good option in my professional opinion.”
Young said the roundabouts are proven to be safer options, although he has already voiced his concerns about the way the alternative five design is currently.
“If they choose (alternative five), they will give us a voice,” Young said, noting proposed details like the angles of curves, the style of curbs, width of the lanes and how to best provide signage leading people through the roundabouts are all details that will be further explored.
Miller said the two-roundabout system may be the best answer, but the commissioners believe the current design is not drawn up to best benefit those two intersections.
The main point of contention for the commissioners was the roundabout turns were too unnecessarily tight and the plan doesn’t need to have as much tight turning as is exhibited in the alternative five drawing.
Miller said that presents real issues for farm implements and semitrucks navigating through the area, something Mast agreed with wholeheartedly.
Mast used the example of the tight turns with high curbs located on the north side of Wooster, noting they encourage their truckers to find alternative routes to head north because of the toll those roundabouts take on their trucks.
The other concern the commissioners have is the timetable that will be needed for the necessary work to take place. Miller said the county can ill afford to shut down that well-traveled road during construction and insisted ODOT needs to find a way to provide a temporary road around the construction that would allow travel.
“We’re not thrilled with the current roundabout plan,” said Miller, who said further discussion between ODOT and Holmes County needs to take place. “There’s a proper way to do this. There’s no way we can close that road down. Everything that moves through Holmes County moves on that road.”
Commissioner Dave Hall said while these intersections are important, it is equally important that ODOT continues to work toward safe travel at several other intersections in the county.
“ODOT hasn’t given me answers as to what they are going to do with our other bad intersections,” Hall said. “If we’re waiting on 2028 for this project, how far down the road are we going to have to wait to deal with intersections where we are losing lives? I want to make sure we have their full attention on getting dollars into our area to expand on those issues.”
While the wheels continue to turn for both ODOT and the commissioners, Young said he has every confidence the two parties will eventually come together to create the best option for the intersections.
“ODOT will work with us; I truly believe that,” Young said. “Once they decide on the plan, they will talk to us about these options we are discussing.”
Finally, all in attendance agreed that regardless of what option is put in place, a time of education for the public needs to take place and an investment from ODOT to explain exactly how travel on a roundabout would work.
“We’ve got 45,000 people in Holmes County, plus all of the tourists, and half of our population drives bicycles and buggies,” Miller said. “I’m here to protect them.”
Hall said while ODOT may have its mind set to create alternative five with two roundabouts, the job of the commissioners is to help tweak the plan to where it is acceptable for the community, using both the county’s expertise along with the knowledge of its citizens — both from the Amish community and the trucking industry — to perfect the option so it best fits the county’s needs.