State Route 95 Improvement Meeting is Tuesday

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has scheduled a meeting to gather input on their proposed improvements for State Route 95. The open house-style meeting is Tuesday, January 31, from 4:30 pm until 7:00 pm, at Tri-Rivers Career Center in Marion.

The planned improvements will stretch from University Drive to just east of Blevins Boulevard.

ODOT, District 6, says the safety improvement project for State Route 95 in Marion does improve safety, but does not include a median down the middle of the road.

Seven years ago, ODOT first began talking about safety improvements to SR 95 which at the time included at three-foot concrete median barrier.  Because of opposition to a median, ODOT revised its plans and made some changes, which included installation of a coordinated traffic signal system.

The following elements are included in the project:

• Improve pavement and shoulders
• Extend turn lanes
• Improve signs and striping
• Improve driveways and drainage
• Provide safer eastbound access to SR 95 at Blevins Boulevard
• Add southbound left turn lane at Pole Lane Road

The plans do not call for safety improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists. Several community groups, including EnVISIONing Marion County and Pioneering Healthier Communities Marion, are demanding that those improvements be included. They point to more and more people walking and biking in the area and the need for safety improvements to protect those people.

ODOT says that with an average daily traffic (ADT) of 30,000, this section of SR 95 serves as a vital link between US 23 and the City of Marion. Safety improvements are needed to reduce congestion and the number of accidents.

Construction on this $2.3 million project is scheduled to begin June 2013 and be completed in the fall.

There will be no formal presentation at the public meeting. It is an informal, open house format. Preliminary drawings of the proposed improvements will be on display.