Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Projects topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County updates: I‑71 interchange moves to phase A; Orange Road rail grade separation lands $5M state grant; transit trips rise
Summary
Administrator Tracy Davies reported the I‑71/3637 interchange will start phase A this year with a March bid advertisement and possible May contract award; county received a $5 million state Grade Crossing Elimination grant for the Orange Road railroad grade separation, and Delaware County Transit reported ridership and trip increases for 2024.
Delaware County officials gave progress updates on major transportation projects and on county transit during the Jan. 9 Board of Commissioners meeting.
Why it matters: Two projects — the I‑71 interchange at State Route 363/3637 and the Orange Road railroad grade separation — involve significant capital investments and multiagency funding. Progress on approvals, grants and federal applications affects traffic, safety and long-term county infrastructure costs.
I‑71 interchange at Route 363/3637 Administrator Tracy Davies told the board the county will start work on Phase A of the new interchange this year. Staff anticipate advertisement for bid in March and hope to award a contract in May. Davies said the first phase will include initial ramps to I‑71 and a connection to Wilson Road, a change intended to help alleviate local traffic issues.
Orange Road railroad grade separation Davies told commissioners the county was notified it received a $5 million state grant from the Grade Crossing Elimination program toward the Orange Road railroad grade separation project. The county has also submitted a federal grant application for $21 million under a rail-crossing elimination program and is awaiting a response from federal authorities. Davies said the total project cost is estimated between $35 million and $40 million.
"We were notified that we received a $5 million grant from the state… through the Grade Crossing Elimination program," Davies said at the meeting.
Transit updates County officials and board members also highlighted Delaware County Transit’s growth. Commissioners discussed data shared by DCT director Andy Volnick: within the City of Delaware there were approximately 124,000 trips in 2024 (about 2.7 trips per City resident) and countywide trips totaled about 154,540, representing roughly a 30% increase in trips over the prior year. A figure of a 39.42% increase in some city service metric was also cited in board remarks. Commissioners and staff praised the transit staff and drivers for the increased service and outreach; the board’s liaison to transit said she will attend DCT’s meeting next Wednesday.
Other notes Davies reported the county’s Finance Authority met the prior evening; Commissioner Gary Merrill swore in two board members at that meeting. No public comment was recorded on these project updates.
Next steps: staff will proceed with procurement steps for the I‑71 interchange phase and continue grant coordination for the Orange Road grade separation while awaiting federal grant decisions. Transit will continue service expansion and will report further results at subsequent meetings.
