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Safety committee to request ODOT set consistent 45 mph limit on Echo Junction Road
Summary
City engineering staff told the safety committee that Perrysburg Township asked ODOT to lower its section of Echo Junction Road to 45 mph. To remove motorist confusion and simplify enforcement, staff recommended raising the city's 35 mph section to 45 mph; the committee voted to proceed with a resolution to ODOT.
Brian Thomas of the city's engineering division told the safety committee a recent resident complaint prompted a review of Echo Junction Road between Carriage (Carinade) and Thompson. The corridor crosses city and township jurisdiction lines; the township recently voted to ask the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to lower its portion from 55 mph to 45 mph.
Thomas said the city's portion is currently posted at 35 mph under local statutory limits and that the split jurisdiction is confusing for motorists and law enforcement. "Where you have the split where one lane's in the city and one lane's in the township, that's really kinda hard to enforce," he said. Thomas recommended making the posted speed consistent along the corridor by increasing the city portion to 45 mph so signs and enforcement match the township side.
He summarized the technical process: ODOT uses a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) software tool that factors lane and shoulder widths, distance to utilities, crash history and speed data when evaluating speed limits. Thomas said ODOT evaluated the township's data and would not approve anything less than 45 mph for the township segment; to achieve consistency the city would therefore need to raise its posted speed limit. He added that the change requires a resolution from council requesting that ODOT declare a safe and reasonable speed under the Ohio Revised Code and that ODOT will journalize and inspect the posted signage once finalized.
Committee members asked about prior studies and signage. Thomas said historical reviews in 2014 and 2015 produced calculated speeds of 53 and 48 mph, respectively, and that at present the corridor lacks speed-limit signs in places. He noted residents reported vehicles traveling 50'55 mph in the corridor and said the primary near-term benefit of the ODOT action is consistent signage: "Just because we put out 45 mile an hour signs doesn't mean everybody's gonna drive 45, but at least the signs are out there," Thomas said.
The committee moved to ask council to approve a resolution requesting ODOT declare a safe and reasonable speed for the corridor. The motion was recorded as approved 3-0.
Ending: Engineering staff will forward the resolution paperwork to ODOT if council approves the asking resolution; ODOT will finalize signage and record the change in its journal once the agency inspects and approves the posted limits.
