Columbus presents refined alignment for Home Road water plant transmission mains; Dublin to negotiate easements

City of Columbus Division of Water staff and consultants briefed Dublin City Council on March 9 about refinements to the Home Road Water Plant transmission-mains alignment and the project's next steps.

Tim Huffman, manager of distribution engineering, and project staff said the mains are large (48‑inch diameter) and the project responded to rising regional demand. The team described an evaluation that considered easements, traffic impacts, environmental conflicts, business impacts and cost in a pairwise comparison across more than 100 miles of potential corridors. From that analysis, a recommended corridor and phased approach emerged.

Staff described several alignment refinements intended to reduce construction duration and local traffic impacts: shifting a crossing to Blazer Parkway to tie in near an existing water tower, moving from Warner Temple Road to Parkwood Place around I‑270 to preserve business access, and shifting portions from Brand Road to Arlington Parkway to reduce cost and construction difficulty. For Muirfield Drive the team proposed phasing construction with one main placed on one side of the corridor at a time so traffic can be shifted and the median preserved; the approach was presented as a way to shorten construction time and protect existing landscaping important to the Memorial Tournament and residents.

Columbus said easement acquisition and negotiation will begin soon and that the city is seeking four easements from Dublin (Parkwood Place near I‑270, Kaufman Park, the Wyandotte School/Arlington Parkway area, and an Ashbaugh Road property north of Brown Road). The team said it will conduct additional field work (topographic and geotechnical surveys, cathodic protection, ecology and archaeology) as design advances toward 90% plans and that construction will include measures to maintain two‑way traffic in most zones and repaving and restoration after work.

Council members pressed staff on the corridor‑ranking method, tree and streetscape impacts (particularly in Muirfield and Arlington), timing and school coordination during construction, river‑crossing technique (Columbus said microtunneling with shafts will likely be used), and where the mains ultimately connect in the distribution network. Columbus representatives said they will continue direct outreach with property owners, HOAs, the Memorial Tournament, Dublin City Schools and emergency services, provide 48‑hour notices for field walks, and meet with affected groups as design progresses; they also confirmed that contractor selection and construction‑management steps will include intensified communication plans.

No final municipal approvals were required of Dublin at this briefing; the presentation focused on design choices, outreach and next steps. Columbus said the new plant will reinforce local resiliency and could save Dublin $8–13 million in upsizing a booster station that would otherwise be required.