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Wooster council approves ODOT-funded roundabout at SR 585 and Geyers Chapel Road
Summary
Council voted to approve an agreement with ODOT for construction of a single‑lane roundabout at State Route 585 and Geyers Chapel Road after discussion about accident history, schedule and potential city cost exposure if bids exceed estimates.
The Wooster City Council voted to approve a final agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation to construct a single‑lane roundabout at the intersection of State Route 585 and Geyers Chapel Road.
Councilors and staff described the project as a safety‑driven ODOT award that places most construction funding with the state. “Current construction estimates are about $200,000 less than that,” Councilor Wharton said, referring to the project’s $2,562,650 funding threshold in the agreement.
Councilors pressed staff about the city’s maximum exposure if bids come in above ODOT’s estimates. Council discussion clarified the council could be required to contribute up to the full difference between ODOT’s capped funding and the final construction costs; administration staff said the maximum possible city contribution identified in the paperwork is roughly $545,000 if bids exceed the ODOT estimate by a substantial margin. John Rice, who answered technical questions during the item, noted that bids will be solicited next month and that ODOT’s current construction estimate was about $2.3 million.
Councilors and staff also discussed crash history at the location. Wharton said the intersection met ODOT’s safety‑fund criteria, and a city staff member reported “there were 21 crashes within, within a 4 year period,” a record staff said justified the safety application. Construction is slated to begin in May with a completion deadline in September; ODOT will designate official detour routes on state US routes but the city and contractor must coordinate temporary local widening or other measures where detour traffic will pass.
Several councilors noted the project was presented to the council on an accelerated timetable because of ODOT’s bidding schedule. Councilors who asked why the item was on one reading were told state agencies often require action on the city’s schedule if the city accepts state funding. After discussion the council voted to suspend the rules and adopt the resolution.
The council and staff said the roundabout is intended as a safety improvement to head off a later, costlier need for a traffic signal as the area develops.
