Sponsor: Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT)

Project Name: MED/WAY SR-301 00.00/6.89 PID 115230

Estimated Total Cost: $5,492,504

Proposed Source of Federal Funds: ODOT

History/Background: The 2019 Statewide Amish Travel Study identified ODOT maintained routes with animal-drawn buggy traffic and prioritized these routes for safety improvements. A route prioritization matrix was established based on ten sets of weighted criteria to aid in determining which segments of

State maintained routes warrant certain countermeasure improvements. The safety issues between buggies and motor vehicles are associated with the speed differential between animal-drawn buggies traveling approximately 5-8 miles per hour (MPH) compared to motor vehicles traveling at speeds around 55 MPH. The Amish Travel Study identified a total of eight High Priority segments in District 3; five of those segments were located along SR-301 in either Medina or Wayne County. The proposed project is 3.5 miles in length and includes two of the five High Priority segments along SR-301. This section of SR-301 has the highest animal-drawn buggy volume along the SR-301 corridor. There is also produce auction facility located near the Medina/Wayne County line, which holds auctions three days a week, from spring to fall, which likely contributes to the buggy volumes in the project area. Most of the produce sold at the auction is grown by the local Amish community.

From 2017 to 2019, there were 12 crashes along SR-301 within the project limits. Five of these crashes involved buggies, four of the buggy crashes resulted in injury (one serious, three minor). All five buggy crashes involved buggies being struck by vehicles traveling 50 - 60 MPH.

Proposed Project: The proposed project involves constructing a paved shoulder, eight (8) feet wide, along 3.5 miles of SR-301, from West Salem Road, in Congress Township, Wayne County to US-224 (Greenwich Road), in Homer Township, Medina County (illustrations).

The recommended countermeasure is to address historical and potential crashes on SR-301 by constructing an 8' paved shoulder to accommodate animal drawn buggies, moving them entirely out of the travel lanes. Since there is no safety countermeasure or crash modification factor specific to shoulder widening for routes with animal-drawn buggies, a comparable crash modification factor for shoulder widening was used (29% reduction in all crash types). However, it is expected that the proposed countermeasure will result in a greater benefit for all vehicles that travel along SR-301. Since the buggies will be located outside the travel lanes, the need for vehicles to pass the slow moving buggies and crashes involving buggies will be greatly reduced.

The project’s estimated total cost, provided by the sponsor, is $5,492,504.  The estimated cost of preliminary engineering environmental (PE Env) is $463,250. The estimated cost of right-of-way (RW) is $185,085. The estimated cost of construction (CO) is $4,527,260. The estimated cost of construction engineering (CE) is $316,909. The PE Env, RW, CO and CE phases will be funded with federal funding and state funding sources.

Staff Comment (Summary):

Intergovernmental Review and Consultation (IGRC):

Public Involvement:

Committee Review: