Are traffic improvements needed along Colonel Glenn Highway and at the I-675 and North Fairfield Road interchange? That’s what Beavercreek plans to find out with two new grants approved for traffic studies.

The City of Beavercreek was recently awarded two grants totaling $40,000 for safety studies of the two high congestion areas within the city. The grants were issued from the Governor’s Highway Safety Office (GHSO) and the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT).

The $20,000 GHSO grant will pay for a traffic safety study of the Colonel Glenn Highway corridor. The ODOT grant covers a similar study at the I-675 and North Fairfield Road interchange. Both grants will pay for 100 percent of the studies costs. The roads being studied are the primary feeds for the Mall at Fairfield Commons, Wright State University and Wright State’s Nutter Center.

Traffic Study Will Look at Col. Glenn Hwy Safety
The primary study area along Col. Glenn Hwy will be from the Meijer store up to the I-675 on and off ramps. Beavercreek Record Map © 2008

City officials say the two fully-funded traffic safety studies are another example of Beavercreek’s emphasis on obtaining state and federal grants, thereby maximizing the use of local tax dollars the City receives from the public.

City Manager Mike Cornell says, “The City will continue to aggressively pursue alternative funding opportunities to address the roadway needs of our community.”

The results of the studies will be used to look at possible improvements to reduce crash problems. City officials say the next step after that is seeing what improvements would be eligible for highway safety funding. Funding in the form of grants can be as high as 100 percent for construction. Beavercreek has a good track record in obtaining this type of funding. Most recently, In August 2007, the city received an ODOT grant of $279,180 for safety improvements at the intersection of North Fairfield Road and Fairwood Drive. Last summer the city also received a $420,000 Roadwork Development Grant from the Ohio Department of Development to widen New Germany-Trebein Road (now Pentagon Park Blvd) in front of the Pentagon Park development.

In total, according to the city, Beavercreek has received over forty million dollars in these types of grants since 1996.

Story by staff. Source: City of Beavercreek (ci.beavercreek.oh.us).   BR20080126-02