ODOT proposals for Rt. 37 corridor include roundabouts and turn lanes to improve safety and traffic flow

Jim Gorsuch stared at a poster depicting a roundabout at the intersection of Rt. 37 and Clover Valley Road.

“What do you think?” he was asked.

“I think it’s very close to my house,” he said, pointing to a rooftop visible at the edge of what could be a new intersection, if the Ohio Department of Transportation decides to move ahead with the roundabout at some point in the future.

“Time to sell the farm?” he was asked.

“I hope not,” Gorsuch said. “I’ve lived there for 70 years – my whole life.”

He was among nearly 100 people who attended the first of two ODOT open houses at Big Walnut High School in Sunbury on Wednesday, July 30, where ODOT officials presented options for improving safety and traffic flow along Rt. 37 from the City of Delaware southeast through Alexandria in Licking County.

| Read more: ODOT eyes congestion in Rt. 37 corridor – and looks to widen Rt. 161 and identify a north-south connector to I-70

“We’re looking for feedback from the public on these proposals,” said Morgan Eibel, an ODOT public information officer. “This starts a 30-day comment period. People can do that here, by email, by mail or through our website.”

ODOT and consultants studied the intersections along Rt. 37 to develop proposed changes for most of them – ranging from installation of traffic lights to widening sections of the roadway to accommodate turn lanes or roundabouts.

In Licking County, the recommendations suggest several roundabouts, including one in Alexandria at Rt. 37 and Granville Street, where there were two crashes and one injury in two years. The study recommends no changes for the main intersection in the heart of Alexandria – Rt. 37 and Liberty Street – but it calls for a second traffic light in the village at Northridge Road, where there have been seven crashes and one injury.

Eibel said ODOT will take the feedback it receives, potentially make adjustments based on public comments, and formulate an action plan by the end of this year. No funding exists for the projects now, she said, but the goal is to find funding and chip away at the proposed projects during the next decade.

Safety is a key consideration. “This corridor has experienced 17 fatal crashes since 2008,” according to a set of frequently asked questions posted on the ODOT website along with the recommendations for each intersection.

“Some people might look at that and say that’s 17 in almost 20 years,” Eibel said. “But one is too many.”

Another consideration in developing the Rt. 37 plan is the substantial growth in New Albany and the surrounding area, particularly in western Licking County – “especially after recently securing the Intel development, the largest single private-sector company investment in Ohio’s history.”

And yet another factor is traffic congestion. An ODOT study in 2024 “anticipates that this corridor will have numerous congestion risk hotspots in 2025-2055.”

The most dangerous intersection on the list – where Rt. 521 (Kilbourne Road) and Mill Run Crossing connect at Rt. 37/36 in Delaware – has seen 35 crashes with 11 injuries between 2022-2024. The recommendations call for adding a lane north- and southbound, installing left-turn lanes on all legs and lengthening existing turn lanes.

The ODOT web page for the Rt. 37 corridor study includes maps and details about each intersection, and it breaks them down by Delaware County and Licking County.

Between Alexandria and Johnstown in Licking County, the study proposes a turn lane on Rt. 37 to Jersey Mill Road, turn lanes north- and southbound at the point where Castle Road and Duncan Plains Road meet on Rt. 37, and a realignment of Concord Road at Rt. 37 and the addition of a southbound turn lane.

Charlie Reeves, who has a home and farm on Rt. 37 just west of Alexandria, has lived in the area since 1958. He and his family farm about 2,200 acres in the area, including several fields adjacent to or near Rt. 37.

“I’m really concerned, because we either own or lease land in the affected area,” he said.

The former St. Albans Township trustee said he has mixed feelings about the proposals. Reeves, 77, said he understands the need to improve safety and efficiency. At the same time, he’s concerned about potential loss of land to roadways and that a more efficient highway could bring even more traffic to an already busy roadway.

“We all know there are going to be changes,” he said, adding that he hopes that any changes to Rt. 37 will be done with consideration for the history and character of the communities it passes through.

Alan Miller writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.