If you have a car on campus, the 36/37 ‘Point’ improvements are hard to miss. With the current trajectory, construction won’t be completed until 2025. But why?
Ohio Wesleyan students and faculty alike are seldom unaware of the extraneous construction taking place right outside the city of Delaware. Especially when the route is almost unavoidable, such as when traveling east towards SR-71, the typical mode of travel for a direct path to Columbus.
Many OWU students have made complaints about the construction’s confusing nature, and understandably. Just last week, they completed construction on one half of the road and rearranged the traffic pattern. It can be difficult to keep track of, yet those who complain may not have the entire end goal in mind.
Will, a student at Ohio Wesleyan, spoke about his opinions on the matter.
“It’s been this way for around a year now,” said Will.
He feared he would be spending his college career weaving through hard-to-read traffic patterns every time he needed to drive someplace.
“I get that construction is an ongoing process,” said Will “but I can’t seem to understand why there has to be so much going on in a single concentrated area. I can leave to go back home and come back a semester later. It would still feel like day one.”
Unfortunately, like Will, many other personnel from the area fail to remember what the traffic patterns were like before the construction project kicked off. U.S. 36/SR 37 bustles with traffic on the daily. Freight and larger commercial vehicles make up a considerable portion of this local traffic.
The road needs an upgrade, and the railroad hovering above it doesn’t make it any easier. All these factors create the growing pains that residents drive through. Traffic will have to get worse before it can get better.
Hannah Salem, a representative of The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), gave vital information about the state of the highway moving forward.
“The Point Project on U.S. 36/SR 37 began construction in 2023 and is expected to be completed by 2026,” said Salem, “Traffic congestion and backups are common at this intersection during morning and afternoon rush hours. Over the past decade, congestion on the east side of Delaware has significantly increased, and with business growth coming to the region, the traffic, specifically freight, will make this vital intersection even more congested and increase safety concerns, which are the primary reasons for this project.”
Along with the highway itself, the city also has to accommodate the railway traffic overhead.
“To support this widening [of the road], the Norfolk Southern railroad bridge will be replaced with a longer one. A temporary railroad bridge will be constructed to maintain rail traffic while the new bridge is built,” said Salem, adding more emphasis to the need for detailed and intentional use of resources.
Many people live near the worksite, so making the junction as safe as possible during and after construction is a number one priority.
“This project exemplifies strong collaboration between state and local government agencies,” said Salem in a final statement, “ODOT and the City of Delaware have worked closely throughout both the development and construction phases of this project to make a significant improvement for the public.”
The construction on U.S. 36/SR 37 may be a current hindrance to traffic entering and exiting the city of Delaware, but it’s a necessary step in future-proofing the city’s infrastructure to create a safer and more efficient city.
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