With the increase in manufacturing and commercial business in western Licking County, the Ohio Department of Transportation is looking for a more efficient route between Rt. 161 and I-70.
ODOT will hold an open house from 3-7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 3, to share possible routes and receive feedback from the public. The information session will be held at the Pataskala Public Library, 101 S. Vine St.
Establishing this connector would involve enhancing an existing roadway to allow for increased volumes of traffic to move safely and efficiently from western Licking County.
Generally, ODOT planners are looking at these corridors as possibilities for a connector between Rt. 161/37 and I-70:
– Mink Street, which runs directly south from the New Albany International Business Park to I-70 between Reynoldsburg and Etna.
– Rt. 310, which runs south from Rt. 161 through Pataskala and Etna to I-70.
– Rt. 37 south from Granville to I-70.
– Thornwood Drive, which runs from Granville south through Newark and Heath, and connects with Rt. 79 near Hebron and I-70.
At the same time this is being studied, ODOT is also looking at ways to improve traffic flow through the Rt. 37 corridor from Sunbury to Granville. Ideas about building roundabouts and turn lanes along Rt. 37 were shared during an open house in Sunbury in July.
ODOT is also making plans for an eventual third lane on Rt. 161/37/16 from New Albany to the east side of Granville at Thornwood Crossing.
A project to rebuild bridges on Rt. 16 in Granville during the past two years included a third lane in each direction for future use – but those lanes will not be striped or open for traffic until third lanes are added in the future.