Roundabout work starts soon

NORWALK TWP. — Construction on the long-delayed and controversial Ohio 18/Ohio 601 roundabout will begin this week after months of delays. The intersection will be closed until late May. The intersection will be shut down beginning on Monday, March 10, and will reopen to traffic around May 23, according to a news release from the Ohio Department of Transportation. Drivers driving east on Ohio 18 should detour east to U.S. 20 and then to Ohio 60 south, in the village of Wakeman, and then to Ohio 18. If traveling west, follow the same path in reverse order. Drivers utilizing Ohio 601 and Greenwich Milan Townline Road should detour to S. U.S. 250 west and then to U.S. 20 east and then to U.S. 20/Ohio 601 roundabout. Likewise, those traveling the opposite direction should follow that same path in reverse order. According to their website, the transportation department estimates the project to be completed in July 2025. What's coming? The project will convert the two-way stop sign-controlled intersection at the intersection of Ohio 18 and Ohio 601 into a single-lane roundabout. The project aims to improve safety for motorists at the intersection, according to the deparment's website, which states the intersection has a history of crashes, with 33 crashes between 2016 and 2021. Construction was originally slated to begin in September 2024 but was delayed. Pushback Not everyone is happy with the change. Summit Motorsports Park, a popular racing venue, has entrances and exits near the proposed roundabout. Last year, Summit officials voiced their concerns in a letter to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Jack Marchbanks, former Director of the Ohio Department of Transportation, asking the project be delayed or reconsidered. "Summit Motorsports has up to 18,000 cars and vehicles of its fans, employees, and vendors parked for a given day's events," Summit's letter states. "This volume of traffic occurs daily on Fridays through Sundays (and at times on Thursday for national events). Nearly all of these cars and vehicles enter and leave the park near the corner of (Ohio) 18 and (Ohio) 601. Nearly all fans leave in a very short period at the end of a day's events." The letter also questioned the data collection and the appropriateness of a roundabout near the entrance/exit of a large venue. "The USDOT modeling of roundabouts does not model to this level of imbalance," it stated. "Roundabouts can be an appropriate remedy for traffic concerns in many instances. However, that no one appears to have installed them at the corner of a large sports or music venue's main exit/entry point suggests such a roundabout at the (Ohio) 18 and (Ohio) 601 intersection defies common sense." When contacted Tuesday, Summit Motorsports Park declined further comment.