Mount Vernon City Engineer Brian Ball told the city council that crash data and residents' concerns led to a successful $524,976 grant through the Ohio Department of Transportation to improve the North Sandusky Street-Upper Fredericktown Road intersection.
The project aims to address safety issues at an intersection that has seen multiple crashes and a fatality in recent years. Ball said community input played a significant role in securing the funding. "I think we want to emphasize that this project was brought to us by multiple multiple people in Mel's [Severns] neighborhood, folks from outside the city, folks from the county. This is not something that the administration just went in a small room and made up (...) This this project is something we've looked at, people have brought this to us. So I believe we have a lot of community support for this," Ball said, according to a video recording of the meeting.
Ball also explained that while the city had previously applied for funding for work on Edgewood Road, voters did not support it. He said Mayor Matt Starr directed staff to examine crash data across all city intersections with an emphasis on safety and locations with high numbers of crashes. Crash data from the past three years was reviewed with assistance from a consultant, according to the video recording.
The North Sandusky Street/Upper Fredericktown Road intersection includes areas within Mount Vernon city limits as well as Clinton Township and is maintained by various entities including the Ohio Department of Transportation and Knox County. The intersection's history of accidents prompted collaboration among these partners. Ball said they approached different stakeholders about addressing problems at the site and noted that Knox County Commissioners also raised concerns with Mayor Starr. "They realized this was an opportunity for a partnership," the video recording shows.
Ball said that although the city applied for $820,000 in grant funding, it was awarded $524,976 based on regional needs. If accepted by the city council, planning will begin with public meetings and consideration of several alternatives for improving safety at the intersection—including but not limited to roundabouts. Currently, Mount Vernon, ODOT, and federal agencies are involved in funding; additional partners may join once an alternative is selected. The grants require a 20% local match.
