Traffic will be detoured by way of Wayne Madison and Howe roads. The speed limit will also be reduced to 15 mph through the work zone, and Ohio 73 may be subject to restrictions to allow for trucks moving into and out of the construction site.
The roundabout at this intersection has been years in the making. The rural intersection, which often includes travel by semi trucks, has been crash-prone for years and a regular member of Ohio’s list of the most dangerous intersections.
In one of the last extensive studies, from 2012 through May 2015, there were 16 serious crashes at the intersection, three of which resulted in fatalities.
In one of the most serious recent crashes, in October 2019, an incident that involved two vehicles and a semi killed a Preble County mother and her 2-year-old child.
The roundabout project began in 2016 following safety and feasibility studies conducted by ODOT District 8 and consultants for the department as a result of the crash history at the intersection.
Clearing work near the intersection is done, and the roundabout construction began in August. The $3 million project is expected to be finished by late summer 2021, according to ODOT officials.
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