But a transportation consultant who uses the intersection regularly is concerned the project will only solve part of the problem, leaving commuters with little confidence in transportation planners.
“If ODOT implements the current plan, no improvement will result and the motoring public will cease to believe anything they say,” David Vomacka, a transportation consultant and former Springboro councilman, said in an email sent after he reviewed the state plans for the project.
ODOT plans to add a continuous right-turn lane from eastbound Austin to southbound 741 and widen 741 for future dual northbound left-turn lanes.
To complete the project, the state expects to take about 2.5 acres from Springboro Landing Associates, a partnership formed by developer RG Properties to hold the land, south of Austin between 741 and the interstate, according to plans acquired by the newspaper.
“We are currently in the right-of-way stage, with acquisition expected to be completed later this year,” Mandi Dillon of ODOT said in an email last week.
ODOT expects to spend $45,330 on the right-of-way. Bo Gunlock, who heads RG Properties, could not be reached about the land needed for the road improvements.
In 2006, Gunlock urged the state not to buy the right of way for the north-south legs of a proposed "continuous flow" intersection in a letter copied to then state Sen. Jeff Jacobson and then-Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted.
Gunlock said the state would block the company from developing the land, although it was unlikely to ever complete the north-south legs of the continuous flow intersection.
Only two legs were built - and the required right of way acquired - at the time.
Now the state is moving forward with changes that will come closer to completion of the continuous flow design. Vomacka said the state should complete the four-legged design.
Federal traffic safety funds will pay for two-thirds of the current project, expected to cost almost $1.85 million, Dillon said last week. ODOT funds will cover the rest of the cost, she said.
This fall, ODOT will seek bids on the project, expected to be completed in 2017, although ODOT plans to “stripe out” the new lane, pending completion of a study of the capacity of the $40.6 million interchange, which opened in late 2010. Drivers will not be able to use the striped-out stretch.
During rush hours, traffic at several locations around the interchange is already at levels not projected until 2030. About 50,000 cars a day pass through the intersection, according to ODOT.
With much of the development around the interchange yet to be completed, some commuters are worried the worst has yet to come.
RG is expected to begin developing across from the existing Austin Landing, in Springboro, this or next year. It just announced a 12-screen movie theater in the development in Miami Twp.
“It’s going to be a parking lot,” Vomacka said.
While failing to solve all the traffic problems, the new lane should help ease congestion, especially for people turning off Austin toward Springboro, he said.
“It should help quite a bit,” Vomacka said during a phone interview before he reviewed the state plan.
Still Vomacka said there were other problems with traffic flow around the new intersection, although RG has yet to begin developing the southeast quadrant and is still completing Austin Landing in the north east quadrant.
For example, Vomacka said traffic slows on eastbound Austin heading toward I-75, as motorists slow to turn into the Austin Landing development.
In addition, he said he the project failed to solve problems with traffic backing up on northbound 741 waiting to turn west onto Austin Boulevard.
“It’s just an inadequate road,” Vomacka said. “It’s horribly inefficient. It doesn’t have enough capacity.”
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