Raised crosswalks among permanent improvements in store for Main Street-Scioto Darby Road roundabout
Permanent modifications to the roundabout at Main Street and Scioto Darby Road will begin this spring after Hilliard City Council on Feb. 22 voted 6-0 to approve funding for the $1.26 million project.
The modifications came after a 2017 study to evaluate crash patterns at both roundabouts and make modifications to mitigate the frequency of accidents, according to a staff report to City Council.
The modifications to the roundabout at Main Street and Scioto Darby include the installation of raised crosswalks – like those at the roundabout at Main Street and Cemetery Road – to slow vehicle speeds and increase pedestrian safety, reshaping of the center island and the splitter islands, resurfacing and activation of the traffic signal where Cemetery and Scioto Darby roads merge to the west of the roundabout.
Westbound traffic on Scioto Darby currently yields to westbound traffic on Cemetery and eastbound traffic on Scioto Darby.
The signal would coordinate with another traffic signal at Bradford Drive and Scioto Darby Road, west of the new signalized intersection, according to the staff report.
Construction should be “substantially complete” by mid-August, but the installation of overheard signs and flashing lights won’t be finished until November, said Letty Schamp, the city’s deputy engineer.
The city received two bids for the project, and both were lower than the city engineer’s estimate of $1.07 million, Schamp said.
Complete General Construction was awarded the bid for $1.04 million.
After adding a 10% contingency onto the construction estimate and professional services by DLZ for $121,000, the total cost of the project is $1.26 million, according to the staff report.
The city received a grant through the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program that paid for its construction, leaving the city with only $289,000 of associated costs for its share of the project, Schamp said.
The improvements should be a benefit to the residents and businesses alike, as the modifications to the roundabouts improve travel through the city, said Libby Gierach, president and CEO of the Hilliard Area Chamber of Commerce.
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