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Improvements to Fisher Road, Hague Avenue and Valleyview Drive
Two projects coming next year will increase safety for students and motorists. On March 27, the Franklin County commissioners agreed to contract with M-E Companies, Inc. to assist with road designs for an improvement project on Fisher Road at the intersection of Hague Avenue for $280,261. The company first prepared this project a few years ago, but set it aside when the county ran into funding issues. The county has now secured a grant from the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC), which will cover 90 percent of the cost. The remaining 10 percent will come from the bridge and road fund. According to Ted Beidler of the Franklin County Engineer’s Office, construction should start around May 2013 and wrapping the following season. There will be eastbound and westbound left turn lanes added to Fisher Road and an additional eastbound through lane. Structural improvements to the road will also be completed. In a second project the county will cooperate with the city of Columbus on a pedestrian project for Valleyview Drive and Hague Avenue. Beidler said the construction would begin approximately during summer 2013, to not interrupt school. The project is estimated to cost around $1 million and is funded through the Ohio Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) Safe Routes to Schools program. The boundaries for improvements on Valleyview Drive will stretch between Brinker Avenue and Hague Avenue; and for Hague Avenue will stretch between Carol Avenue and Valleyview Drive. The pedestrian improvements are a product of the ODOT’s initiative, which focuses on the construction of sidewalks and better crosswalks to make school zones safer for students. With construction planned for Hague Avenue, the county will also take the opportunity to replace an aging culvert north of Carol Avenue. While the underground drain is still functional, Beidler said, replacing it now will save time and money in the future.
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