TROY TOWNSHIP — It didn’t take long for the first honked car horn to christen a new traffic roundabout Tuesday morning.
A group of four bicyclists on the Richland B&O Trail approached the roundabout at Lexington-Springmill and Home roads not long after it opened.
At the same time, a car traveling south on Lex-Springmill stopped short of the roundabout and flashed its lights, encouraging the cyclists to cross and continue their ride toward the village of Lexington.
As the cyclists waved and came across, a motorist behind the stopped vehicle loudly sounded his displeasure on his car horn.
(Below: Four bicyclists encounter cars at the roundabout at Lexington-Springmill and Home roads on Tuesday morning.)
Richland County Engineer Adam Gove said the right-of-way rules regarding the bike trail and the road have not changed, even with the new roundabout.
He said stop signs on either side of the road mean bicyclists/runners/walkers etc. must stop and wait for cars, trucks, etc. to pass.
Vehicles, therefore, should not stop in the road to encourage the bikers, runners, walkers, etc. to cross.
“The rules have not changed,” he said. “There are stop signs on both sides of the road (for trail users) on the bike trail.”
However, everyone should use caution as they adjust to the new traffic pattern, Gove said. A little patience may also be in order.
Gove did have some bad news for commissioners and residents. The opening of the road is only temporary.
While drivers can now navigate the intersection, Gove warned the site remains an active construction zone illuminated by temporary lighting fixtures due to a delivery delay of permanent equipment.
“We were hoping to have the roadway intersection open past Friday,” Gove told commissioners.
“We were told the permanent streetlighting was coming in (Monday) — yesterday and today. That did not show up. They don’t know when the permanent streetlighting is going to show up,” he said.
(Below are photos taken Tuesday at the newly opened roundabout at the intersection of Lexington-Springmill and Home roads.)
Rather than keep the roadway closed to traffic indefinitely, Gove said he directed the contractor to place temporary lighting at the site.
“We have asked the contractor to put up temporary lighting, which is being done right now as we speak, and the roadway should open before noon today,” Gove said.
So the four-month detour relief comes with a caveat. The intersection will face another short shutdown when the permanent fixtures finally arrive.
“Good news is it’s opening today,” Gove said. “Bad news is it will close for a day or two for additional construction (when lighting equipment arrives).”
Gove said once delivery dates are confirmed, the county will issue an advance public notice. Replacing the temporary poles will require shutting down the intersection during work hours for one to two days, he said. The adjacent section of the Richland B&O Trail, which crosses through the junction, has already reopened to pedestrians and bicyclists.
“The bike trail’s been open for, what, almost two weeks now, I believe,” Gove noted.
The project marks the second roundabout constructed in Richland County in recent years, following similar safety improvements at Cook and Mansfield-Lucas roads in 2022.
(Below: A recumbent bicyclist on the Richland B&O Trail works his way across Lexington-Springmill Road on Tuesday morning near the newly opened roundabout.)
The $2.44 million roundabout project, awarded to Adena Corp. of Mansfield earlier this year, has been in development since 2022 to improve traffic flow and reduce severe angle crashes at the corridor.
Adena was awarded the contract after submitting the lowest of three bids for the project, which had been estimated at $2.9 million.
Construction closed the intersection in mid-June for what was slated to be a 120-day closure.
The roundabout was designed by EMH&T from Columbus. The company was awarded the contract in May 2023 at a cost of $591,755.
K.E. McCartney & Associates of Mansfield was awarded a $241,990 contract in April to manage and oversee construction operations on behalf of the county.
Roughly 90 percent of the total project costs were covered through grant funding through the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio Public Works Commission, with local county funds covering the remainder.
(Below: Motorists successfully navigate the new roundabout Tuesday morning at the intersection of Lexington-Springmill and Home roads.)
