COOLVILLE, Ohio – Coolville area residents say that proposed traffic changes on U.S. 50 in the village could have unintended consequences, including business closures and more crashes.
Around a dozen people attended a public meeting on May 9 at Coolville Village Hall, where Mayor Neil Cowen encouraged villagers to voice their opposition to the Ohio Department of Transportation’s proposed $2.14 million intersection safety improvement project at the intersection of U.S. 50 and Brimstone Road. The project would begin in May 2025 and end in fall 2025.
According to ODOT, the site experienced 20 crashes between 2014 and 2018, with 14 of those accidents causing injuries. Nearly all of them were angle crashes (T-bones). Data from the Ohio State Highway Patrol shows 17 crashes at the site since 2019; none involved serious injuries or fatalities.
To reduce the number of crashes, ODOT proposes building a reduced collision U-turn, or RCUT, which it says can reduce the overall number of crashes by 40% and reduce fatal crashes by 70%.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Crash Dashboard for Athens County shows 17 crashes in or near the U.S. 50–Brimstone Road intersection since 2019, none of them with serious injuries or fatalities.
RCUTs prevent drivers from directly crossing or making a left-hand turn. In the proposed Coolville project, for example, a driver in Coolville who wants to go to Family Dollar would have to make a right turn onto U.S. 50 East; drive downhill to a designated U-turn area; turn left at the U-turn; proceed back up the hill on U.S. 50; and, finally, make a right turn onto Brimstone Road.
“I just think there’s just too much going on in such a small area, a mile and-a-quarter area – crossing lanes,” Cowen said. “You’re eliminating head-on collisions, but you’re opening up T-bones.”
Cowen fears that township roads will see more traffic if drivers seek to avoid the RCUTs on the highway. Village council members and village residents expressed concerns about existing traffic backups on State Route 144 during morning rush hour, as well as hazardous weather conditions, such as fog.
Since 2019, there have been four accidents at the U.S. 50–SR 144, about .7 mile east of Coolville — but one of them caused serious injuries and one was fatal.
“I mean, you might as well have a demolition derby out here in this mile-and-a-quarter – just call it the ‘Coolville Smash-Up,’ because that’s what’s gonna happen, and you’re gonna run businesses out,” Cowen said.
Officials and residents also are concerned about impacts on Coolville’s few businesses, including GoMart, Family Dollar and Bayou City Equipment. Village council member Tom Todd was especially concerned about the loss of gas tax revenue if GoMart closed.
Based upon Cowen’s interpretation of ODOT’s map, a driver coming from Coolville would have to make “four lane changes, two RCUTs to go to GoMart and back.”
The mayor said the village hopes to hire a second police officer to better monitor speeding.
In an email Wednesday, Cowen said the village council passed “a resolution to oppose the project, and it was a unanimous vote 5-0” at its meeting Tuesday night. Village counsel Jonathan Robe clarified that the village voted to oppose the project, and consider a formal resolution at its next meeting in June.
“All council members gave me permission to speak for them that we do not want this project,” Cowen said in an email.
Cowen said that he has been calling government and ODOT representatives, including Jay Edwards, about the project, but has not received a response. At last week’s meeting, he distributed the officials’ contact information as well as a petition to ODOT. Cowen said he plans to circulate the petition for two weeks, then present it to ODOT in June. He also shared a diagram.
ODOT District 10 is aware of the petition, public information officer Ashley Rittenhouse said in an email.
“This location has been on ODOT’s radar for years as a location of concern, due to the pattern of crashes,” Rittenhouse stated. “We have been hearing from the public for years that an improvement is needed at this location.”
ODOT last held a public meeting regarding the location in 2019, Rittenhouse said; no additional meetings are planned at this time. As of Thursday morning, ODOT had received five comments on the project (two from the same person), all in favor of the proposed changes.
A traffic signal was considered, Rittenhouse said in an email.
“However, a signal is not a safety device – only a device to assign right of way,” Rittenhouse said. “When a signal is installed, the crash pattern changes from an angle pattern to rear end crashes, and crashes tend to increase. At a high speed location such as this one, the rear ends can be just as severe.”
Additionally, another major concern is the nearby State Route 7 interchange. “Northbound SR 7 and eastbound US 50 traffic are concentrating on merging together just a few hundred feet in advance of the intersection,” Rittenhouse stated.
Rittenhouse confirmed that funding has already been secured for the project. “This would be the District’s first RCUTs; however, they have been built in other areas of the state,” Rittenhouse stated. “The District was unable to secure funding for an overpass. It was determined that the crash patterns can be addressed with the lower cost countermeasure, which is the RCUTs.”
Coolville Village Council meets on the second Tuesday of every month. Its next meeting will be June 11 at 7 p.m. at Coolville Village Hall, 26319 Main St.
Disclosure: Robe completed and filed incorporation papers for Southeast Ohio Independent News, the nonprofit that publishes the Athens County Independent. He also has provided the Independent with legal advice.
