The Big Walnut Interchange tops the list of infrastructure projects that Delaware County deems most important — not just for the county, but for the central Ohio region.
The list is the result of the county’s participation in the Competitive Advantage Projects (CAP) program, sponsored by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) and Columbus 2020.
Representatives for the CAP program visited the Delaware County Commissioners in December to solicit their help in developing a list of projects that would yield the highest economic-benefit potential for the entire region.
Commissioner Jeff Benton spearheaded Delaware’s effort, which used two online surveys to collect feedback and shape results. The first survey, conducted in early February, asked local officials as well as business and community leaders to assess a list of 68 possible projects that included road, sewer, telecommunication, trail and utility improvements.
Based on those results, a list of 20 projects was presented to the public via the County’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. That survey, conducted in early March, generated 317 responses and, from that list, seven projects were identified and have been passed along to the CAP program administrators.
“This has been a very enlightening and productive undertaking for Delaware County,” said Benton, “as it enabled us to seek input from a wide variety of stakeholders and learn more about what matters most to our constituents.”
The top seven projects, in order of priority, are:
1. Big Walnut Interchange: Construct a new I-71 interchange at Big Walnut Road for the purpose of improving commuter-traffic flow.
2. East-West Connector Corridor: This project includes several phases of improvements, primarily to Home Road. It includes road widenings, intersection improvements and the construction of new segments of Home Road.
3. Delaware Point: This long-discussed project would widen the railroad underpass route between Bowtown Road and the Rts. 36/37 split on Delaware city’s east side.
4. 5G Technology: Improve the County’s fiber network to handle “5th Generation” wireless systems.
5. Sunbury Parkway Interchange and Sunbury Parkway: Construct a new I-71 interchange at the future Sunbury Parkway, south of Routes 36/37.
6. New Sewer-Treatment Plant: Build a Delaware County sewer-treatment plant to serve the rapidly growing area around I-71 and Routes 36/37.
7. Glenn Parkway: Build a new road with two lanes in each direction from Routes 36/37 to Berlin Station Road, on Delaware city’s east side.
These priority rankings, which are being collected from all the counties in the MORPC region, will be used to help make funding recommendations and decisions in the future.
For information about Delaware County, visit their website at: http://www.co.delaware.oh.us.
