WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP — Could another traffic roundabout be in Richland County’s future?
It’s too early to tell, but county Engineer Adam Gove wants to consider all options at the intersection of Middle Bellville and Orchard Park roads in Washington Township.
County commissioners on Thursday approved Gove’s request for a safety study at the troublesome intersection, site of some of the most severe accidents in the county.
In a five-year traffic study commissioned by Richland County Regional Planning from 2017 to 2021, that intersection was the second-worst in the county based on the Ohio Department of Transportation’s “severity scoring,” according to Gove.
Currently, there are “stop signs” for north/south bound traffic on Middle Bellville and nothing to slow traffic on Orchard Park, a busy road that connects the Village of Lexington to Ohio 13/Interstate 71.
“We’ve had a number of accidents out there over the years, even though I believe in the early 2000s, there was an improvement project that made some vertical adjustments to a hump that was out there that limited site distance,” the engineer said.
“But we’re still seeing accidents occur out there. So this study is basically going to identify what the problem is and some possible solutions,” Gove said.
A federal grant will cover 90 percent of the study’s costs, up to $11,700, he said. He said the study would be done by February 2025.
(Photos showing various angles of the intersection of Middle Bellville and Orchard Park roads.)
“This gets us started and then we’ll have to select a design consultant to do the study and go from there,” he said.
The first roundabout on county-controlled roads was built in 2022 at the intersection of Cook/Illinois Road and Mansfield-Lucas Road.
A second one is in the design phase at the intersection of Lexington-Springmill and Home roads with construction expected in 2026.
The City of Mansfield built its only current roundabout in 2012 at the intersection of Middle Bellville and Straub roads.
According to ODOT, there were only six traffic deaths at Ohio roundabouts from 2017-2021 compared to 1,126 deaths at a signalized or stop-controlled intersection.
“Roundabouts save lives. They reduce severe crashes, move traffic more efficiently, and are cheaper to maintain than signalized intersections,” ODOT Director Jack Marchbanks has said.
(Below is a PDF with a 2017-2021 transportation safety report commissioned by the Richland County Regional Planning Commission.)
Commisisioner Tony Vero asked Gove if a roundabout could be the latest solution.
“That’s always a possible solution,” Gove said. “We have to look at all the options see what makes the most sense.”
The engineer said the study will consider all possible solutions, including a stoplight or even just additional signage.
Gove admitted there would be challenges in designing this roundabout.
“There’s a driveway and a house on the southwest corner that sits pretty close. But the rest is pretty open field. We probably have some right-of-way larger than our typical right of way out there because of the improvement project earlier.
“But, I would imagine we’d need need more if that option was the final outcome,” he said.