The proposed US-23/I-71 connector is the latest example of how Ohio continues to carve up, reshape, and remove the rural character of the Buckeye State.
Since graduating from Mt. Vernon High School less than 10 years ago, central Ohio has certainly matured, with Delaware and Morrow Counties now placed 2nd and 9th out of 88 counties in population growth. While this growth has its positives, its not without challenges, and we should take the time to ask questions on how proposed solutions might reshape the area. Three questions I’d like to put forward are:
- How does further highway expansion change the character of Ohio communities?
- What’s the opportunity cost of spending approximately 700 million dollars on this one project?
- What’s the long-term cost of adding a new highway here?
I want to recognize ODOT for its public input process and for sharing an expected capital cost for this proposal. But it’s now on us to hold our state and local leaders accountable and consider our vision for our region.
Like many young people, I wanted a change of scenery and, for me, that meant moving to Cincinnati. I loved living in Southwest Ohio, but I never fully left my roots, frequently traveling back home to see family and friends. Those familiar with this drive will notice a few things, first the development pattern: rural, suburban, and urban, and second the continued expansion of roadways, further incentivizing expansion of large suburban-style developments at the cost of blurring urban and rural life. This observation isn’t just a feeling, it also shows up in the data on farmland lost to development:
- National Land Cover Database – 600,000 acres
- Ohio Department of Agriculture – 6.9 million acres (1950-2000)
Before brushing this off as a “big city” problem, we should take note that these same patterns are appearing in small town Ohio. A new subdivision often leads to a sudden influx of traffic, prompting calls for roadway expansion, more parking, and the removal of the buildings that make up the very Main Streets that people are trying to visit. What’s been lost is our traditional and incremental development pattern, in its place we’ve elected for a top-down approach that only knows large scale…