OMEGA, ODOT discuss future road projects
Officials from OMEGA and ODOT met with some of Holmes County officials who deal with roadway issues to discuss what the future of road, bridge and culvert projects over the next five years will look like.
When it comes to the rebuilding and upkeep of Holmes County’s highways and byways, there’s only one word that can best describe the effort: Teamwork.
On Thursday, March 30 at the Holmes County District Public Library, members from Ohio Department of Transportation, Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association and some key members of Holmes County government and community convened to discuss the upcoming slate of roadway activity for the coming years.
The meeting was led by OMEGA transportation director Kevin Buettner and transportation planner Josh Silker, who provided insight into OMEGA’s regional transportation improvement plan and the organization’s work in creating and enhancing community economic growth in the region.
Discussion centered around the Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan, a plan that looks through transportation improvements in Holmes County for the next five years.
From rural consultations through the planning process and all the way through construction, these roadway projects can take several years to formulate and complete.
The OMEGA team broke down the various roadway and bridge projects including a major 2025 project on state Route 515 between Walnut Creek and Winesburg. Other projects included road work on state Route 520 between Killbuck and Glenmont in 2025, minor road work on state Route 39 between Millersburg and Nashville in 2024, work on state Route 179 north of Nashville in 2025, a 2026 project on state Route 39 west of Millersburg, work on state Route 39 between Walnut Creek and Berlin slated for 2026, a 2024 project on state Route 83 north of Holmesville in 2024 and 2027 work on state Route 93 near Baltic and state Routes 62 and 60 near Killbuck. In addition, there will be eight culvert projects taking place throughout the county.
Buettner said these types of community meetings are invaluable for OMEGA because they get to connect with people who live and work in the communities being affected by the projects.
“We get a chance to talk about these projects long before they actually take place, and that helps us iron out any issues that concern communities,” Buettner said. “We’re farther ahead if we start the conversation now. It was great to have the commissioner, engineer and ODOT here together, talking a couple years out from the projects, because we can make concerns known. All of these projects might have some wiggle room, but if we wait until the time of the project to talk about them it’s too late. This was one of our most productive meetings to date.”
He said the idea of the meetings is to make sure everyone is on the same page and that each project is done right the first time to cause as little construction interference as possible.
Paul Herman, planning engineer for ODOT District 11, answered a series of questions concerning a variety of the construction projects and he too said hearing concerns that he can take back to ODOT to discuss can help make plans for future projects run more smoothly.
Since Holmes County is such a unique county with an Amish population of approximately 50%, Holmes County brings a different set of issues, and Buettner and Herman said discussing buggy and bicycle travel and safety and adding buggy lanes on projects is paramount to success.
Herman said with ODOT preparing to refine its transportation plan, he can take these ideas and add them to the plan if it benefits a community or a county.
“One of the things I wanted to learn more about was the funding for the projects coming over the next two or three years,” said Holmes County commissioner Dave Hall. “What’s going to take place and what do the time frames look like and how are any closures going to impact our communities.”
Hall said planning these projects out in advance helps the county stay on top of anything that might help the public better deal with any closures or delays they might experience while driving.
He added the collaboration and communication of these projects between all involved entities is critical to success, and said access, safety and the ongoing success of the economy are all pieces of the puzzle that must be considered.
Hall also said meetings within any of the affected communities to define what they might be experiencing when road projects take place is another way to keep things positive as roadwork begins.
He also brought up the idea of buggy lanes being added to key spots in the county, and Herman said, “We receive pockets of funds each year from the Amish community of around $70,000 for edge repair and exactly that type of thing.”
Chris Young, Holmes County engineer, had seen all of the plans before and agreed any time entities can connect and talk about progress it benefits everyone.
“This is so important that we work hand-in-hand with OMEGA and ODOT,” Young said. “This is our county’s plan, and we all have infrastructure here, and we have to work together to make sure every one of these projects goes properly.”
He added that inviting some community members to the meeting was a positive because it can bring in fresh eyes on projects that could help tackle problems like bus and student transportation, something Marianne Mader, superintendent at Holmes County Board of Developmental Disabilities brought up.
“We appreciate all of you coming,” Buettner said. “In the end, we just want to help you make a great county even better.”