Highland County's new road, first roundabout opens Sept. 24
Residents and motorists along the northern corporation limit of Hillsboro will see big changes to both the landscape and the highway system on Thursday, Sept. 24 as contractors for the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Highland County Engineer's Office prepare to open a new road and a roundabout as part of the Hobart Road extension project.
On Thursday, September 24, the new extension of Hobart Road – Carl Smith Drive – will be opened to traffic, and along with the new road will be a roundabout at its intersection with Careytown Road.
“Roundabouts, which are becoming more widely constructed by ODOT, are an effective intersection control treatment that provide for the added benefit of calming traffic,” said ODOT District 9 Deputy Director Vaughn Wilson. “By limiting vehicle speed, roundabouts typically reduce crash rates and lessen the severity of crashes.”
Although this is the first roundabout to be constructed in Highland County, it is one of two to be constructed in District 9 during this year’s construction season.
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The other roundabout, which was constructed as a part of a grade-separation project over U.S. Route 35 in Jackson County, is located at the intersection of McCarty Lane and Acey Avenue at the city of Jackson.
Motorists who are new to driving through a roundabout will find that its geometry and the splitter islands on each intersecting roadway will help to slow their speed, which is posted at 20 miles per hour. Traffic in the roundabout flows counter-clockwise around the center island, so as drivers enter the roundabout, they will need to look to the left and yield to vehicles already inside the roundabout. Once in the roundabout, drivers will have the right of way, and as they exit from the roundabout, they will flow to the right at the point of departure onto the intersecting roadway.
Along with these changes tomorrow, Hobart Road will be restricted temporarily to one-way westbound traffic from U.S. 62 to its new intersection and the roundabout at Careytown Road. All eastbound Hobart Road from Homestead Avenue to U.S. 62 will be detoured by way of the new extension – or, Carl Smith Drive – to S.R. 73 and Harry Sauner Road or by way of Careytown Road.
Highland County Engineer Dean Otworth told The Highland County Press this week that he is pleased with the progress on the overall project.
"I'm very pleased with how things have gone so far," Otworth said. "The project is ahead of schedule at this time, with a completion date of August of next year."
Otworth said that any project needs three essential things: "Good design, good contractors and good inspections. And we've had all three."
In partnership with the Highland County Engineer’s Office, ODOT awarded a contract to the John R. Jurgensen Company of Cincinnati for approximately $6.9 million to improve Hobart Road and construct the extension between U.S. 62 and S.R. 73. With an interim completion this fall, all work is scheduled to be completed by summer 2016.
For additional information on roundabouts, visit ODOT District 9’s web site at http://www.dot.state.oh.us/districts/D09/Pages/All%20About%20Roundabout…, and for additional information regarding lane and road closures caused by construction, accidents, flooding or other related traffic events throughout the state, visit www.ohgo.com.