Overpass Project On State Route 15 Near Vanlue To Proceed
The Ohio Department of Transportation and the Hancock County Engineer’s Office are moving ahead with a project to construct an overpass at the intersection of State Route 15 and County Road 169 near Vanlue.
The purpose of the project is to improve safety, reduce crashes, and control access to the divided highway at the location.
The estimated $4.5 million project is expected to begin construction in the spring of 2023.
ODOT and Hancock County Engineer Doug Cade worked together to secure funds through Ohio’s Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP).
HSIP dedicates about $158 million for engineering improvements at high-crash locations every year.
“We appreciate Hancock County’s commitment to improving the safety of the State Route 15 corridor,” said Chris Hughes, ODOT District 1 deputy director.
“The most common concern voiced during public involvement had to do with the loss of access to State Route 15 at the adjacent township roads where construction of cul-de-sacs is currently underway,” said Hughes.
In 2020, Hancock County Commissioners approved a request by Amanda Township Trustees to remove access to State Route 15 at Township Road 196 and Township Road 198 on either side of Vanlue.
The township roads were closed in late September, the median pavement has been removed, and work on the cul-de-sacs is expected to be completed in mid November.
ODOT says with increasing traffic on State Route 15, the gaps needed to cross the divided highway are becoming smaller and less frequent.
The cul-de-sacs support the long-term vision of creating a true limited access corridor.
During public involvement, concern was expressed that the project would impact emergency response time.
“One of the challenges of projects such as this one is balancing the various public safety needs. The location at State Route 15/County Road 169 was selected for an overpass as it was determined to best provide an additional crossover point for both emergency responders and the local community,” said Doug Cade, Hancock County Engineer.
Transportation officials are also planning the construction of an overpass on County Road 180 over State Route 15, just southeast of Findlay.
That project could begin as soon as 2022. Read more about it by clicking here.
(above pic courtesy of ODOT)
