ODOT's Ohio 309 rerouting proposal has fans, foes

MARION – Stop at Doyle's Auto Repair just east of Marion, and Buddy the dog likely will be the first representative of the shop to greet you.

Bill Doyle's service business of 10 years is that kind of place. The owner's home, the roof of which he painted red to match the roofs of his shop and the rest of the buildings at 2163 Harding Highway E., stands only a few yards away. A row of blue and green spruces, which Doyle planted, stand between the tidy homestead and Harding Highway East, where cars and trucks pass by on their way in and out of Marion or to and from U.S. 23, a short distance to the west.

Sometimes — about 10 times a day for as long as about 10 minutes — the cars and trucks stop on the road, which also is a state route, Ohio 309, to wait at a CSX railroad crossing just east of Doyle's property as a train arrives at, departs from or switches at Marion Industrial Center's intermodal facility at 3007 Harding Highway E. on the other side of the tracks.

Ted Graham, Marion Industrial Center president, who in a project with Schneider National Inc. has invested more than $1.5 million to open and expand the intermodal, knew the traffic disruptions posed a problem for motorists. Around 2010, he approached the Ohio Department of Transportation about alleviating the traffic tie-ups. He also believes, and ODOT agrees, that construction of an overpass or rerouting of Ohio 309, or both, would create the potential for significant economic development, maybe up to 9,000 jobs.

ODOT's proposed solution has Doyle worried. In announcing the proposal, ODOT said the route of the realigned Ohio 309 "will not be exactly as it is shown," and the project has not been funded, but that hasn't allayed his fears. He said as drawn the realignment would lead to the closing of his shop, where he said he has three full-time employee and one part-time employee.

"Their plan shows it going through the front of my property," he said. "My concern is not just my house. ... It would destroy my business, in my opinion. Right now, I'm busy. I'm booking a week out. ... I'd rather lose my house than my business. I put everything I owned in this business out here. This is what I see every day. This is where I planned on retiring."

One of seven

After conducting a study, ODOT developed seven alternatives from which to choose and proposed the one that would relocate Ohio 309 from in front of Marion Industrial Center to a new alignment roughly along the path of the existing Patten Pike south of Marion Industrial Center and its intermodal facility. The plan would relocate Ohio 309 from Pole Lane Road on the west to Ohio 98 on the east.

ODOT conducted a public meeting July 9 at Marion Senior Center to present its proposed plan "based upon what is known to date," material made available to the public at the meeting states. An estimated 120 people attended the meeting during which ODOT invited their input "to determine if there are additional issues that need to be considered before moving forward."

The purpose of the project is to reduce traffic delays on Ohio 309, reduce crashes, improve safety and support planned economic development, ODOT states. It also addresses a possible double or tripling of rail traffic using the intermodal site.

Senior Center weighs in

Steve Badertscher, Marion Senior Center director, shares Doyle's concern.

In a letter submitted to ODOT, he describes the proposal as "unacceptable to us."

He cited the "ever-increasing train traffic and extremely long delays" resulting from trains blocking the at-grade crossing on Ohio 309. "For our members traveling to and from the Senior Center, it's just an inconvenience. However, our biggest concern is not inconvenience, but the potential matter of life and death. Serving a senior population, we are very concerned about the ability of an EMS (emergency medical service) squad to arrive quickly in the event of a fall, stroke, heart attack or other medical emergency. And just as importantly, transport someone to the hospital as quickly as humanly possible." The Senior Center and Kennedy Park are both served by the city fire department and EMS.

The senior center would prefer another of ODOT's plans that would relocate the rail spur at the intermodal facility from the west end of Marion Industrial Center to its east end, he said, adding combining the relocation of the rail spur with construction of an overpass "would be the perfect solution to the entire issues currently faced on 309."

In an interview, Badertscher said, "I don't fault Mr. Graham or Marion Industrial Center. I think it's wonderful what they provide, economic development, jobs. I'm supportive of bringing as much commerce to the area that will help us as a community. However, I don't think they have to be mutually exclusive with our safety concerns.

Fire district supports

Clint Canterbury, First Consolidated Fire District chief, praised the proposed plan, saying, "It's going to improve safety for the local citizens and workers that travel that area every day."

"Large trucks are pulling in and out of that depot," Canterbury said, referring to Marion Industrial Center. "Traffic's going faster than the semis can pull out, and you have truck drivers, they don't know exactly what entrance they want, and you get impatient people behind them, and they want to pass, creating a traffic hazard. We've seen a lot of rear-end collisions, people not paying attention, people coming up 55 miles per hour and rear-ending cars. ... It's just a whole situation."

He said a realigned Ohio 309 as proposed "will shorten our time to the hospital. It will obviously shorten the time for mutual aid department, them coming to help us, and us helping them, because we can take the new road. It's the shortest route to Marion (General) Hospital. That's our biggest concern."

MARCA monitors

Cheryl Plaster, superintendent for Marion County Board of Developmental Disabilities, which oversees MARCA School and Industries east of the railroad crossing on Ohio 309, noted that ODOT has not made a final decision on what the alignment of a rerouted Ohio 309 would be.

"For us to have a real strong stance on it is still premature," Plaster said. "Right now, with the train blocking the road, it does cause some issues," such as staff being asked to work late to compensate for late arrivals. "A lot of the verbal concerns flying around whether it's our agencies or other entities around that are pleading their case to us, what if the squad has to go six miles out of the way? That's the case regardless."

She said she's open to any additional option that might increase efficiency, and has met briefly with Badertscher and Doyle about their concerns. "Obviously, he's put everything in that business and had a concern there. As a citizen in Marion County, I'd hate to see him shut down completely, but I haven't jumped to a conclusion when it's still very undecided."

Addressing that Graham is a member of the Marion County DD board, she said, "We absolutely have not had one discussion about it at all." She said she plans to discuss the issue with him and to speak further with Badertscher about his concerns, as well.

"We're there to protect people with disabilities, but also growth has to happen, as well," she said. "It'll be a tough balance."

Mayor: Too early

Marion Mayor Scott Schertzer said it "would be good for the community if we could reroute some of that traffic. It would be safer those at the (Kennedy) park, the River Valley (Baseball for Youth) complex and those at the senior center."

"I don't really want to endorse any particular scenario right now because we're really too far from knowing what ODOT is going to say to the community," Schertzer said, adding it "would be premature" to comment on the plan ODOT decides to pursue until it "makes a definitive recommendation."

Of Badertscher's concerns, he said, "I believe there is an option, let's call it a back door on Patten Pike, to get into the Senior Center. That's something that would have to be evaluated."

Graham: Community benefits

Graham said ODOT would cover the cost of relocating the rail spur, the plan preferred by the senior center.

"That seemed to be what everybody that spoke at the (July 9) meeting would like them to do," he said. "The problem that makes that solution very difficult is the railroad would need to agree to it, and the tracks in the back have all been set up to run the yard the way it is now. The cost of the right-of-way and the new tracks and reconfiguring my tracks ..., they wouldn't be feasible, and that sounds like I'm lobbying against it, and I'm not lobbying against it, but the reality is it would probably not be an alternative that would be workable."

Graham said the rerouting will help the community.

"On that people think I'm the only person that would benefit, however, I do not own or control that ground," he said, referring to the land south of Marion Industrial Center. "The ground that would be developed would be owned by the parties that own that ground. Actually, I would benefit from more traffic in and out of the intermodal part, but the buildings would be built on the current landowners' properties."

He said he does not plan to buy the land where the development could take place.

Thousands of jobs?

The projection that realigning Ohio 309 could create up to 9,000 jobs, up from the current approximately 1,000 employed by Marion Industrial Center, tenants and companies that use the facility, is based on a "rule of thumb" that one job is created for every 1,000 square feet of building that is built.

"Nine thousand jobs would equal 9 million square feet of space, which is very doable," Graham said.

He said the additional space would be built by the companies that use the intermodal facility. "The closer to an intermodal facility, the better for people that are in the distribution business; and for people in the logistics business, they would be interested in building large buildings with related employment."

"We are working with prospects, but no one is going to sign before there is good access to the highway infrastructure," he said, adding Marion Industrial Center has some prospects it would be able to accommodate with the current location of Ohio 309. Larger prospects, however, would require the space that would be afforded by the realignment proposed by ODOT.

Concerned employer

"I think it's better for the community to do the realignment along Patten Pike," Graham said. "There's really no substitute than creating value to ground that's there and creating the needed jobs in Marion to doing the realignment."

Feeling threatened by ODOT's proposal, Doyle rankles at the idea that his business could go under at its current location and his employees lose their jobs, in part, to help Marion Industrial Center and other companies.

"I'm not against bringing business to Marion," he said. "But let's do it sensible. ... I also don't want to be destroyed because someone else wants to make money. ... I've got a track record. I've been here this long, and I'm planning on staying."

Second meeting

ODOT said it will hold a second public meeting, date to be announced, in September or October after considering the public comments it received during and after the July session.

It plans to make a decision on funding design and right-of-way acquisition in December and, if it's funded, prepare final plans in 2015, begin purchasing needed right-of-way in 2015 and 2016, begin construction spring 2017 and complete construction in winter 2017.

jjarvis@marionstar.com

740-375-5154

Twitter: @jmwjarvis