Plain City to join multijurisdictional SR‑161 corridor study; contribution is advisory, administrator says

Plain City’s administrator updated council Feb. 4 on a proposed multijurisdictional study of the SR‑161 corridor and confirmed the village will participate financially.

Administrator Haley Lupton said a stakeholder group representing impacted jurisdictions — including Dublin, Union County and Madison County — has proposed a collaborative SR‑161 corridor study covering the Dublin‑to‑Plain City corridor. The proposal would align with an Ohio Department of Transportation traffic study. Lupton said the stakeholder group requested financial contributions from participating jurisdictions and that the Village budget can support Plain City’s requested share. She added that the Village’s requested contribution is a portion of a larger cost pool, with the majority of expense divided between Dublin, Union County and Madison County.

Lupton emphasized that any final plan produced by the stakeholder process would be advisory and would not impose legal obligations on participating jurisdictions. Councilmember Jim Eudaily said his understanding was that the plan would serve as guidance for future development and land‑use decisions while ODOT’s work would focus on transportation. Councilmember Michael Terry said he generally supported participating but raised the complication of the Village’s involvement in a study area largely outside village boundaries; Harriman agreed that the corridor is important to the village’s growth.

Council did not take a funding vote at the meeting; Lupton said she would proceed with administrative steps to participate consistent with the stakeholder group's approach.

The SR‑161 discussion followed planning‑related reports and was presented as part of ongoing regional coordination on transportation and land use.