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The Ohio Department of Transportation plans to install a roundabout to eliminate the crossover point for drivers exiting the Interstate-75 northbound ramp and heading west on U.S. Route 33 near Wapakoneta.
File photo.
WAPAKONETA - A $10.15 million Ohio Department of Transportation safety improvement project that will entail the installation of a single-lane roundabout at the northbound Interstate 75 to U.S. Route 33 ramp intersection has been fast-tracked, with construction likely to get started this summer.
"This is a big undertaking. It'll be the first roundabout in Auglaize County, and it's at the busiest and most dangerous intersection in the county," Auglaize County Engineer Andrew Baumer told The Daily Standard. "So it is going to be a big jump for local traffic here, but … I think long-term, it'll be a good solution."
After evaluation of timeline and development, the project is about a year ahead of the original schedule, according to ODOT, which is bankrolling the work with its safety program funds.
Baumer, who's been kept apprised of project updates, said ODOT will likely select a contractor in July. The interim project completion date is October 2027, and the final completion date is May 2028, he said.
"Some work will be started, I guess, this year. The majority of work will take place in 2027," he said.
To address high crash rates in the U.S. 33/I-75 interchange area, ODOT in 2013 launched a safety study that specifically targeted the U.S. 33 eastbound to I-75 northbound and I-75 southbound to U.S. 33 westbound ramps, according to an ODOT virtual public open house.
The study found the majority of accidents were fixed object crashes under wet road conditions exacerbated by the tight radius curves
Consequently, ODOT micro-milled the ramps in 2014 to improve road friction. A three-year crash follow-up reportedly showed the pavement milling successfully reduced fixed object crashes on the ramp.
Still, crashes persisted at three ramp/median crossover locations within the I-75 interchange area, ODOT found.
A subsequent feasibility study evaluated cost-effective improvements to U.S. 33 that would improve safety for key locations within the interchange, according to ODOT's presentation.
In 2022, Auglaize County received a $4.7 million dollar ODOT Highway Safety Improvement Program grant to implement additional safety improvements at the U.S. 33/I-75 interchange due to the 41 crashes experienced from 2017 to 2021, according to ODOT's crash study of the area.
The grant application, ODOT noted, recommended the elimination of the divided highway configuration and reduction from four to two lanes in the interchange area, as well as the development of a roundabout to eliminate the crossover point for drivers exiting the I-75 NB ramp and heading west on U.S. 33.
The Ohio Department of Transportation plans to install a roundabout to eliminate the crossover point for drivers exiting the Interstate-75 northbound ramp and heading west on U.S. Route 33 near Wapakoneta.
ODOT highlighted three elements driving the project, including the need to "improve inadequate turning movement storage capacities." The current layout, ODOT stated, requires drivers making left turns to sit in the median, creating a risk of accidents.
Additionally, ODOT said the project aims to reduce or eliminate sight restrictions, "particularly for drivers traveling I-75 northbound to US-33 westbound that must cross 2 lanes of US-33 eastbound to turn onto US-33 westbound while assessing the traffic from all 4 lanes."
Lastly, ODOT wants to reduce or eliminate conflict points at the crossovers, as crossing multiple lanes of traffic reportedly creates more conflict points for drivers, especially with left turns.
Traffic operations, impacts to local roads, crash reduction potential and costs were also taken into consideration.
ODOT has devised a four-pronged approach to achieve its safety goals.
It plans to remove westbound lanes on U.S. 33 between Cemetery Road and the I-75 southbound exit ramp, convert eastbound U.S. 33 between the I-75 southbound entrance ramp and Cemetery Road to one travel lane in each direction, install a roundabout on U.S. 33 at the I-75 northbound exit and entrance ramps, and move the I-75 southbound exit intersection west to allow more room for vehicles waiting to turn onto U.S. 33 eastbound.
Roundabouts are a proven way to reduce both the number and severity of crashes, ODOT said, citing federal highway administration studies that suggest roundabouts on rural intersections reduce all crashes by 68% and reduce injury crashes by up to 88%.
Moreover, ODOT asserts that roundabouts improve the operational performance at an intersection, largely by reducing delay when compared to a stop-controlled or signalized intersection. That's because traffic generally doesn't need to come to a full stop at the intersection.
"Roundabouts also eliminate high-speed right-angle and head-on collisions," ODOT states. "Crashes are usually slow-speed or sideswipes, which decreases the severity of crashes when they do occur."
ODOT said it takes great care in designing roundabouts to accommodate the needs of an area, including heavy semi-trailer and farm equipment traffic. Rolled curb and truck aprons are incorporated into the design to accommodate larger vehicles, while reinforced outside shoulder widths allow for larger turning paths.
A series of detours has been proposed over the course of the project to maintain traffic access to and from U.S. 33 and I-75.
"A portion of it will be completely shut down during construction," Baumer said.
For U.S.Route 33 eastbound traffic looking to access I-75 northbound or southbound, the proposed detour is U.S. 33 to Cemetery Road to Wapak-Fisher Road. I-75 northbound and southbound will be accessed at the interchange.
For U.S. 33 westbound traffic looking to access I-75 northbound or southbound, the proposed detour is U.S. 33 to Wapak-Fisher Road. I-75 northbound and southbound will be accessed at the interchange.
For I-75 northbound traffic looking to access U.S. 33, the proposed detour is exit number 111 at the Wapakoneta/First on the Moon exit and then Wapak-Fisher Road, also known as First On the Moon Way, to U.S 33 eastbound or westbound.
For I-75 southbound traffic looking to access U.S. 33, the proposed detour is to exit at the Wapakoneta/First on the Moon exit and take Wapak-Fisher Road to U.S. 33 eastbound or westbound.
The Ohio Department of Transportation plans to install a roundabout to eliminate the crossover point for drivers exiting the Interstate-75 northbound ramp and heading west on U.S. Route 33 near Wapakoneta.
Source: ODOT
This is an ODOT project, but Auglaize County has been kept abreast of updates and provided some input.
"They've taken into account some of our comments, mainly with the detours and construction staging," Baumer told the newspaper. "We had some concerns early on how all of this was going to come together, mainly because the easiest and most convenient detours are going to be our roads under our maintenance."
County roads, Baumer said, are just not designed for the levels of traffic seen on I-75 and U.S. Route 33.
"So limiting those detours and being thoughtful about those was important, and ODOT has worked with us to help stage those," he said. "Overall, we haven't had a ton of input on the design on the roundabout. … It's all kind of run through ODOT. But we have worked with them on some staging and detours."
Is the public ready for Auglaize County's first roundabout?
"I recognize there's going to be a learning curve," Baumer said. "Initially there will be some accidents, but … they'll be more of the fender-bender type as compared to the large, T-bone collisions that end up in serious injury or even fatality."
The overall project will eliminate semitrailers having to cross several lanes of traffic to make a left-turn with ongoing traffic traveling 55 mph and faster, Baumer stressed.
"These roundabouts are designed for semi traffic to make these turns. I know that's a big question as well," he said.
Down the road, Baumer believes, it will ultimately be a successful project.
"I know there's some apprehension, a lot of talk around the community about this project, and I think once everyone kind of gets used to the new setup, I think it'll be good long-term," he said. "But change is hard, and we just have to take it slow and go with it."
The project has been estimated at $10.15 million - $1.25 million for design and $8.9 million for construction - and will be finance through ODOT's safety fund.
For more information about the project, visit transportation.ohio.gov/projects/projects/118055.
