MOUNT VERNON — Since construction and a detour on State Route 13/Sandusky Street began on July 7, drivers have been navigating new signage and some have tried to find shortcuts.
Many have turned onto side roads in an attempt to avoid the detour and have ended up getting stuck on dead end streets, resulting in greater traffic back up as drivers have had to turn around and reenter the roadway, city engineer Brian Ball said.
Last week, the city requested the Ohio Department of Transportation hire law enforcement officers to help direct traffic through the early days of the detour, Ball said. ODOT decided not to hire law enforcement until the next traffic switch on the project, Morgan Overbey, ODOT District Five public information officer, wrote in an email Friday to Knox Pages.
The ODOT construction contract includes the use of off-duty law enforcement for traffic direction, although it does not include law enforcement participation for 100% of the project timeline.
“The contract has set aside funding specifically for 60 hours ($68.50 per hour) of special-duty law enforcement on the project,” Overbey wrote. “This is pretty standard for a project like this. Some of those hours have already been used, but are typically reserved for set up of a major traffic change/switch.
“So at this point we will not be hiring any special duty law enforcement until the next traffic switch on the project.”
Ball attributed traffic issues to people adjusting to the new route, which he hopes will run more smoothly with time.
There have been specific problems with vehicles turning into Clarence Court, a dead end street that had not had signage indicating so until recently.
“There was a lot of confusion,” Ball said. “People were pulling in and having to turn out.”
The city has installed a dead end sign to try to prevent turnarounds in that area, Ball said, but he worries issues will continue if people continue trying to use side streets instead of following the designated route.
“We really don’t want semi traffic on the roads that are neighborhood streets,” Ball said. “It’s a long detour … but it will save the semi trucks from getting a ticket. It will save them from getting stuck at an intersection where they can’t make a turn.”
ODOT has added more signage related to the detour as the project has been underway.
“We did add some signage that goes beyond the original plans to help with any confusion related to the detour and the SR 13 SB closure,” Overbey wrote.
When law enforcement is needed for future traffic switches, ODOT will work with local law enforcement and/or the Ohio State Highway Patrol to request officers, and those institutions will determine who is chosen to be on site for special duty, Overbey wrote.
The construction work hours are Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., with some work on Friday and/or Saturday depending on rain days, Overbey said.
As the community gets adjusted to the new traffic patterns, Ball advises people to plan ahead.
“We want to keep people safe during construction,” Ball said. “Don’t avoid the businesses but take precautions, leave for work a little earlier, things like that.”
