Proposal would add interstate exit in Delaware County to deal with population growth

DELAWARE COUNTY, Ohio — A solution to the commuter traffic problem at the U.S. Rt 36/SR 37 exit is currently in the works, but still has a way to go before anything could happen.

The Delaware County Regional Planning Commission said Delaware County was the fastest growing county in the state between 2010 and 2021. Now, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation, the 36/37 exit near the Tanger Outlets carries more than 36,000 vehicles per day.

A proposal by ODOT would add an additional exit south of the existing one to create the “Sunbury Parkway.” It would extend from Wilson Road to the east and U.S. Rt. 36 to the west and connect to I-71.

The current exit has already been expanded twice in recent years, 2013 and again in 2016, but those improvements were short lived. A photo provided by ODOT shows traffic backed up down the exit ramp and on to the interstate during peak commute times.

“It really gets backed up here prime times of the year. Back-to-school time, Black Friday is horrible up here. Until they finished the bridge project, it was pretty hectic up here,” said Rhonda McCown. “Delaware is kind of a booming area. It’s really grown in the last 15 years. I remember going north of here when there was nothing but a Wendy’s and McDonalds over there, so it’s grown substantially.”

McCown commutes daily from Circleville to her job at Farrow Harley-Davidson, so she’s familiar with the traffic problems that can come up at the current exit from back-ups to traffic crashes. According to ODOT, left-turn crashes at the exit are 17% percent higher than similar roadways in Ohio.

She said she’s been caught up in traffic between Polaris and Sunbury up to an hour before. In the business of selling motorcycles, she said sometimes she and other sales team members will recommend other routes for clients just to avoid the traffic at the exit.

“We have people come in from all different directions so a lot of people just think the highway right there so you try and do your best to give them alternate routes to make life easier for them,” she said.

The proposed plan by ODOT would go through six acres of wetlands, according to the Ohio EPA, including nine Category 1 (low quality) wetlands, seven Category 2 (moderate water quality) wetlands, and 3,773 feet of streams. ODOT has submitted proposed mitigation plans to the Ohio EPA to address the impacts on the affected area.

The Ohio EPA hosted a public meeting on the proposed plans Tuesday evening at the Northgate Church in Sunbury. The agency will continue receiving written comments on the application through January 21. Letters can be sent to Ohio EPA-DSW, Attention: Permits Processing Unit, P.O. Box 1049, Columbus, Ohio 43216-1049.

This isn’t the first time the project has been considered. According to ODOT, in 2015, the City of Sunbury annexed land and working with developers to fund the Sunbury Parkway project. However, local funding of the project stalled when several private entities pulled their funding commitments.

The cost of the expansion project is estimated to be $31.9 million.