This is the second in a multi-part series examining the potential long-term impact of the City of Mount Vernon’s State Route 13 relocation project. To read Part I, an introduction, click here.
MOUNT VERNON — In order to understand the potential long-term implications of the City of Mount Vernon’s State Route 13 relocation project, one must first understand the scope of the project itself.
The project, carrying an estimated price tag of $10 million, is meant to relocate pass-through traffic in downtown Mount Vernon, moving vehicles off of Gay Street, Main Street and Public Square and onto an expanded Sandusky Street.
The goal is to reduce traffic congestion in the city’s downtown core – making it safer, quieter and more walkable – while also making travel more efficient for those passing through the city.
Here’s how the project would change things downtown, if completed as planned:
State Route 13 would be redesigned. The city plans to extend Sandusky Street, building a new section that would connect its southern end (where it intersections with Ohio Avenue – the bend near the fire department) to Main Street (near the viaduct).
The city also plans to expand Sandusky Street from two to three lanes (two going south and one going north) on this stretch, leading up to West High Street.
This would allow all State Route 13 traffic to be rerouted to Sandusky Street, whereas it previously traveled down Sandusky Street, High Street, Mulberry Street and Phillips Drive going south; and up Gay Street, Chestnut Street and Sandusky Street going north.
“This new three-lane roadway would replace Phillips Drive, be located further away from the Kokosing River, and carry two-way traffic,” engineering design firm GPD Group stated in a project scope summary letter to the city March 24.
“State Route 13 northbound and southbound would now remain on Sandusky Street along the western edge of downtown and then continue on South Main Street on the south side of the city, south of the downtown core.”
The southern entrance to downtown would be reimagined. The South Main Street/South Gay Street/Phillips Drive intersection – serving as the southern entrance to downtown, just north of the viaduct – would be redesigned as well.
Motorists crossing the viaduct and coming into the city from the south would now have three options: taking a left and continuing north on State Route 13/Sandusky Street; taking a right and traveling north up Gay Street (which would remain a one-way); or going left momentarily before taking a slight right and traveling north onto Main Street.
Under the current setup, motorists are only given two options: taking a right and traveling north up State Route 13/Gay Street, or going straight and traveling north onto Main Street.
Conversely, motorists heading south through downtown would only be able to cross the viaduct by getting on State Route 13/Sandusky Street – unlike the current setup, where they are able to cross either from Phillips Drive or South Main Street.
Motorists driving south on Main Street would be diverted to the right, onto State Route 13/Sandusky Street northbound, once they reach the South Main Street/South Gay Street/Phillips Drive intersection. They would not be able to reach the viaduct from South Main Street.
The intersection just north of the viaduct would be expanded and reconfigured to eliminate confusion and prevent motorists from taking illegal routes, GPD Group stated.
The intersection of Main Street and State Route 13/Sandusky Street would be shifted north and to the west, to align with the Sandusky Street extension. The intersection Gay Street/State Route 13 intersection would remain closer to the viaduct.
The expansion of this intersection – as well as the extension of Sandusky Street and expansion of State Route 13 along the western edge of downtown – would be made possible through city land acquisitions (which will be covered separately later in this series).
U.S. Route 36 and State Route 229 would be relocated. The section of U.S. 36 that runs through downtown Mount Vernon – between Norton Street and Park Street – would be moved from High Street to Chestnut Street.
The U.S. route would still come into downtown on High Street and Coshocton Avenue from the west and east, respectively.
State Route 229 would be relocated as well. Traffic coming in from the west on High Street would now turn right onto State Route 13/Sandusky Street, then turn left onto Gambier Street, where it would continue east out of the city.
Under the current setup, east-bound traffic takes a right on State Route 13/Mulberry Street, then continues east out of the city on Gambier Street.
Traffic coming in from the east on Gambier Street, meanwhile, would now take a right onto State Route 13/Sandusky Street, then turn left onto High Street, where it would continue west out of the city.
Under the current setup, west-bound traffic takes a right onto State Route 13/Gay Street, then turns left onto High Street, circling Public Square before continuing west out of the city.
State Route 3, the downtown district’s fourth major pass-through artery, would not be relocated as a result of this project.
One traffic signal would be added, five would be removed, and two would be reconstructed. A new traffic signal would be installed at the intersection of State Route 13/Sandusky Street and Mulberry Street, along the newly built extended portion, given the anticipated increase in traffic there.
But five more traffic signals downtown would be removed, as traffic at the following intersections is expected to decline:
— Sandusky Street/Vine Street
— Mechanic Street/High Street
— Mulberry Street/Vine Street
— Mulberry Street/Gambier Street
— Gay Street/Ohio Avenue
“In addition to the signals not meeting the required warrants to remain at the intersections of Sandusky Street/Vine Street and Mulberry Street/Vine Street, a failure to yield, angle crash pattern at the intersections currently exists, which is believed to be associated with the presence of the unwarranted signal,” GPD Group stated.
“The Mechanic Street/High Street, Mulberry Street/Gambier Street, and Gay Street/Ohio Avenue intersections also do not warrant a traffic signal under the existing traffic conditions.”
Additionally, traffic signals at two downtown intersections – Sandusky Street/Gambier Street and Mulberry Street/Ohio Avenue – would be reconstructed as a part of this project.
GPD Group believes the signals would be warranted, but would need improvements to meet the demands of the newly designed State Route 13.
“The current traffic signal at the intersection of Sandusky Street/Gambier Street will be impacted by the additional pavement areas proposed at this intersection as part of the proposed improvements,” the engineering design firm stated.
“The traffic signal at the Mulberry Street/Ohio Avenue intersection should be reconstructed to improve visibility and signal head target values at the intersection.
“The traffic signals should be reconstructed and upgraded to include full vehicular detection, meet current design standards, and incorporate current technology. All traffic signals should be designed to accommodate traffic signal backplates on all approaches to increase signal visibility and add target value to the signal heads.”
NEXT IN THIS SERIES: We will look at how these changes would impact traffic patterns in downtown Mount Vernon. Which roads would get busier – and less busy – as a result of this project? And by how much?
