Dear Council Members,
I would like to express my concerns about the proposed Edgewood Rd Improvements project. While I understand that currently only phase 1 is under review, it is still part of a larger project. One of the main goals for this larger project is connecting N Edgewood Rd to Coshocton Ave.
While your proposal states that your goal here is to "comprehensively address traffic congestion, PARTICULARLY in our residential neighborhoods," your plan is effectively redirecting high traffic into our residential neighborhoods. Clearly you can see why we do not
see this as a helpful solution. Your proposal would also (in theory) mean connecting Edgewood BLVD to N Edgewood. This means you are just moving and increasing the congestion from one bad intersection at Vernedale Dr down Coshocton Ave down about 1000 ft. You would also, (in theory), be putting another stop light, so people can pull out on to Coshocton Ave, within 500ft of the Highland Dr light, potentially further backing up traffic. Given this, it doesn't seem like this is the best way to address traffic congestion.
While the Council has appealed for public involvement and participation, the council has not been forthcoming with the actual details that matter when creating this plan. You can tell us how many MILLIONS this project is going to cost, but you can't even give us a detailed map
with the proposed changes. None of the documents that I have seen so far states exactly how much additional land is needed to complete this project. Even if the land is considered "right of way" property, this can still adversely affect property owners and is vital information. The
plan states it includes limited property acquisition, but no details are given for what properties are impacted by this. Are the properties on the N side of Edgewood also included in this limited property acquisition? If phase 2 follows the same path as phase one, the property at
943 E High St would appear to be in the way of these plans, as their actual home falls ON the right of way line. Has anyone reached out to these people or is it just being ignored for now so that phase 1 can be successfully passed?
I have also seen evidence that suggests the grant money to widen Edgewood was first approved as far back as August 2023, yet the public portion of this proposal was only recently made public and quite frankly the added map left much to be desired. How can you support a
proposal that you can't see the actual details to? How wide is the road? How far will the sidewalks be from homes? What do modern curb, gutter and catch basins look like and where are they on these properties? Without these details I'm not sure how you can expect the
support from members of the neighborhoods most directly affected let alone ask for Council approval.
ODOT refers to this project as widening Edgewood Rd, but Mr. Ball has been quoted as saying the road is not really going to get wider. While I do not see widening the road listed in the project details for phase 1, I also cannot find documentation that includes any details about road width and location, let alone that information in comparison to what currently exists.
Given Mr. Ball's reluctance to provide actual concrete details for this plan, is this something that we can trust as fact? If in fact, the plans do include widening the road, does that mean you will start allowing trucks through High St to turn on Edgewood, especially when your goal
is to redirect traffic our way? This would add even more traffic into our residential neighborhoods, while also making our homes less safe by putting them closer to the road.
While I cannot speak knowledgably about the need to update our utilities infrastructure, I also do not think anyone would be here tonight if that was ALL you were proposing to do. I also think that regrading and resurfacing a road at the same time as updating utilities is a great policy, but I don't think including additional items in order to expedite and further the City's agenda, is. Keeping our infrastructure up to date and our roads in good condition are things we expect. Adding additional features that encroach on our properties like sidewalks and
providing avenues that actively increase the traffic, while reducing our ability to create barriers, is not. From what I could see, more than one property owner has taken measures to help create some kind of barrier between Edgewood and their homes. Properties have trees,
bushes and fences, all put in place, for privacy and to provide natural barriers between the traffic and the inherent traffic noises that comes with living near a busy street. This proposal not only increases these issues for owners, but it also appears be taking away the land that
provided these buffers. While Mr. Ball has stated that this project "includes vegetative barriers to create separation between the road and homes," no real details about this are provided either. If we look at what the city has done in the past, this typically takes the form
of planting small trees that 1. Do not provide any type of real barrier, and 2. Are problematic in the long term as their root system can be destructive, affecting utilities, sidewalks and even home foundations. Increased traffic and reduced yard space also equals a less safe
environment to families with children. The value of our properties will decrease, as our neighborhoods and homes become less desirable, while our liability increases with the additional sidewalks.
With the lack of transparency, or planning details to what phase 1, let alone phase 2, really means for our neighborhood, we request that this proposal is not passed. We hope you look to our beautiful and well maintained bike path as the best option for bikers and walkers, instead of spending large amounts on new sidewalks with steep inclines that encroach upon our homes. We hope that you will continue to look for other, better ways to reduce traffic congestion, one that doesn't adversely affect our established residential neighborhoods. This project has continuously been voted down in the past for a reason. It is NOT the best solution for our town!
Thank you.
