DELAWARE — The Ohio Department of Transportation’s advisory council has approved $5 million in fiscal year 2027 for improvements at the Orange Road and U.S. Route 23 intersection, according to a draft project list released March 23.
The Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC) will accept public feedback on the proposal through April 16 via email.
TRAC will vote on the final list at its April 23 meeting, according to an ODOT release.
ODOT Press Secretary Matt Bruning said significant changes between TRAC’s draft and final lists are unlikely, though not impossible.
“Typically, they don’t get a lot of feedback on projects, so it would be great to get some more feedback from folks,” he said.
TRAC designated the proposal as a Tier II project, meaning it is recommended for additional environmental, design or right-of-way work before it can move to construction, according to the release.
Bruning and ODOT District 6 Public Information Officer Hannah Salem said the approved $5 million will fund preliminary engineering, and asked for another $6 million.
“We asked for $5 million in preliminary engineering, which would kind of help hammer out some of those details,” Salem said. “Then $6 million for right-of-way, and we were awarded the $5 million for the preliminary engineering.”
Bruning estimated the total project cost at $66 million. With $5 million secured from TRAC, about $61 million still needs to be funded.
What improvements could the intersection get?
The intersection project is part of a broader U.S. 23 study examining potential improvements to U.S. 23 between Interstate 270 and Waldo, Salem said.
“Orange Road was a location identified through that study to have a freeway interchange constructed,” she said.
While final plans have not been determined, Salem said the project could include installing median barriers to eliminate left turns at the intersection.
“U.S. 23 would have to be widened with an additional lane in each direction, south of Orange Road,” she said. “And then consolidating access to Parkway Drive, which is the intersection just to the north of Orange Road.”
Check out the project’s full TRAC application and U.S. 23 Action Plan below.
