DELAWARE — After about a year of planning and public input, the Ohio Department of Transportation has selected its preferred route for the proposed U.S. Route 23/Interstate 71 connector.
The route would connect U.S. 23 north of Waldo to Interstate 71 near State Route 521, crossing portions of Marion, Morrow and Delaware counties and including a new interchange north of Ashley.
It was one of three selected route options displayed during a public meeting in March.
During a media briefing Thursday, ODOT Press Secretary Matt Bruning said the agency selected the route after evaluating traffic benefits, environmental impacts and public feedback.
“It doesn’t matter which one of these lines we would have chosen; you were going to have some impacts regardless,” Bruning said.
“We’re trying to minimize those impacts, trying to minimize how many tracks of land we’re splitting and trying to fulfill what the [Ohio] General Assembly asked us to do, and that is put the most feasible connection between these two highways on a map.”
The proposed connector is intended to improve travel between U.S. 23 and Interstate 71 while easing congestion and supporting future growth in central Ohio.
Central Ohioans have voiced their concerns on the project’s potential impact on farmland and waterways, as well as whether the connector would primarily benefit travelers from northwest Ohio rather than local residents.
Public feedback only increased in March when ODOT hosted open-house-style meetings in Delaware, Morrow and Marion counties and whittled the routes down to three.
Bruning said the agency has received more than 2,000 public comments since the project was first announced, noting that all public input was important to how ODOT decided the final route.
He also said the feedback will be included in the connector’s final report that the agency delivers to the Ohio General Assembly in October.
Aside from the final preferred route announcement, Bruning said ODOT will host another round of public meetings in August:
- Tuesday, August 4: 12-2 p.m. or 4-6 p.m. at Mount Gilead High School’s gymnasium
- Thursday, August 6: 12-2 p.m. or 4-6 p.m. at the Delaware County Fairgrounds’ Ag Building
ODOT also released a new video explaining how the project reached this stage. Bruning encouraged anyone planning to attend one of the agency’s August public meetings to watch it beforehand to better understand the proposal.
The agency will continue accepting public comments about the project through September 1.
