The railroad crossing along East Orange Road in southern Delaware County has worried people for years with frequent traffic and emergency vehicle backups, school bus cautions and near-misses plaguing the growing community.
About 10,000 vehicles and 30 trains use the crossing daily, making it the busiest east-west crossing in the county.
But now something’s being done. The county received its largest-ever federal grant for roads to fund about half of the projected cost for the underpass.
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The East Orange Road underpass project has been awarded $21 million by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
An artist’s rendering shows a proposed rail underpass along East Orange Road in Delaware County.
A Dispatch story from 2017 quoted officials worried about the crossing and cost of solutions, asking “Do they widen around the tracks? Build a bridge over them? Or create a trench or underpass underneath?”
And apparently an underpass — the most costly option — won out.
Five years ago, an Orange Township’s administrator estimated the cost of an underpass at $18 million.
The $21-million federal grant will help fund reconstruction of a portion of East Orange Road, including trenching under the Norfolk Southern and CSX rail lines. The entire project is expected to cost about $43 million and will be managed by the Delaware County Engineer’s Office.
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The rest of the funding will come from the county’s general fund, fees generated by local tax-increment financing (TIF) districts and the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission. Construction will begin in 2026 and should be completed in 2029, according to the county.
Traffic travels east along East Orange Road in Orange Township in this May 2017 Dispatch file photo. The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded Delaware County a $21-million grant that will cover about half the cost to build an underpass below the railroad crossing.
The project will lower East Orange Road by about 22 feet beneath the rail overpass and will include a deep storm sewer along the roadway. A shared-use path also will be constructed. A temporary road will route vehicular traffic along the south side of the existing road during construction. The bike trail currently there will be closed for the duration of the project.
“This is a great example of a multi-jurisdictional cooperative effort, with many partners working together to complete a significant regional project,” County Engineer Chris Bauserman said in a prepared news release.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Orange Township railroad crossing to get $43-million fix
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