The new Ohio 444 begins at the Dayton-Yellow Springs and Kauffman Avenue intersection, continues along Kauffman to Central and west onto Dayton.
Officials said there may some small changes to direct people to the new route but no significant changes are anticipated in the near future.
More signage could be installed along the new Ohio 444 reroute, and the city and Ohio Department of Transportation will continue to work together to document any issues that arise.
Pete Bales, the city’s public administrative services director, said the city has received only a few complaints. The most prevalent one, he said, is semi-trailer trucks are having a difficult time turning at the Dayton Drive/Central Avenue intersection.
“We’re just asking people to exercise patience, leave a little earlier than normal and allow more time for their commute,” Bales said. “People will get used to the new traffic patterns.”
To help with Wright-Patt security, concrete barriers and fencing were installed at the south end at Dayton-Yellow Springs Road behind the Valero gas station and at the north end next to the commissary.
Twenty-two new Ohio 444 signs have been installed, costing ODOT about $4,000.
ODOT will take traffic counts the week of Oct. 29 at three intersections — Dayton-Yellow Springs/Kauffman, Central/Dayton and Dayton/Broad — and again in the spring to determine if improvements are necessary. ODOT was originally scheduled to do restriping work along the reroute, but ODOT project manager Jay Hamilton said it will hold off because “we’re not finding any backups at the intersections.”
The city is waiting for the restriping work to be completed before activating the new signal at Dayton/Central, Bales said.
“There’s not enough signage. It’s on street poles. You don’t know if you’re going north or south,” resident Al Molnar said. “I think the state of Ohio is sending us a big message. That is, if they can make 444 so unattractive and so unuseful as a highway, maybe they won’t have to do anything. Maybe we have to pick up the baton and make 444 an attractive, useful place.”
About 11,000 vehicles traveled Kauffman daily prior to the reroute, and city officials anticipate that number to increase. Nearly 15,000 vehicles per day traveled on the stretch of Ohio 444 that closed, 85 percent of it base-related, the Air Force said.
WPAFB employs about 27,000 people and is the largest single-site employer in the state.
“It’s not nearly as bad as we thought it might have been,” Hamilton said of the new route. “We’re pleasantly surprised with how well traffic has flowed.”
Base spokesman Daryl Mayer said the base is looking at ways to improve the Gate 12A entrance from Ohio 444, where there is only one left-hand turn lane. Additionally, Spruce Way — which runs behind the Hope Hotel — will be extended all the way to the former Ohio 444.
“That will do a lot to improve the internal flow of traffic within the base fence,” Mayer said. “Right now, we’re getting some backups interior-wise at peak times. When Gate 1A is open, everything will go a lot faster.”
An interim 24-hour Gate 1A is on track to be completed by mid-November. It will be adjacent to the commissary and feature three lanes each way. The total project is costing the Air Force about $700,000.
Wright State University spokesman Jim Hannah said the school has not received any “official complaints about delays or any other problems” related to the Ohio 444 reroute.
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