Contractors for the Ohio Department of Transportation will construct the roundabout at the northern junction of 127 and 73 (Trenton Oxford Road) in the community of Collinsville.
Throughout most of the project, traffic on 127 and 73 will be maintained in all directions, with intermittent restrictions in effect during hours of operation. In addition to these restrictions, northbound Huston Road will be closed at the east junction with U.S. 127 for up to 75 days beginning Tuesday.
The Huston Road traffic will be detoured via Hamilton-Eaton Road and Trenton-Oxford Road. The south leg of Huston Road off westbound 73 will not be affected by this closure.
Kathleen Fuller, ODOT spokeswoman, said there will be a 14-day closure for 73 that is planned for sometime in late summer or early fall of this year.
The intersection is on the Governor’s Top 150 high crash intersection list and is ranked 45th in priority in the state of Ohio. ODOT has made improvements over the years to the intersection that carries lots of farm, semi truck and commuter traffic to Miami University. But traffic crashes have persisted.
ODOT constructed left turn lanes at the intersection in 2012. However, since that time (2013-2019), there have been 29 crashes at the intersection including 11 injuries, four of which severe, according to ODOT. Travel speeds are high on 127 with ODOT’s most recent count indicating 71% of traffic travels at speeds above 55 mph.
ODOT completed a safety study of the intersection, which reviewed 29 crashes that occurred between 2013 and 2019 and 40% of those crashes resulted in injuries.
The study also indicated a roundabout, which is proven to slow down traffic, would be the safety solution to the intersection, Fuller said.
Milford Twp. Trustee Amy Butterfield said the trustees were consulted and public input sought by ODOT and there was some opposition from Collinsville residents. She noted it will change the landscape of the area.
“It (roundabout) reduces speed so if there is an accident there probably won’t be fatalities. That is a good thing,” she said. “But we are rural community with large farm equipment traveling the roads, too. It is big change to get used to.”
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