Roundabout work set to begin next year
Construc t ion of t he roundabout proposed for Possum Road and Selma Pike in Springfield Twp. is expected to begin next year, with nearby Clark-Shawnee schools adjusting their start date to accommodate.
Clark-Shawnee Supt. Brian Kuhn said the district’s official calendar for next school year will not be approved by board until December, but the school year will start later than usual to allow construction workers the time to finish construction on the roundabout.
The roundabout will be at the intersection of Selma Pike and East Possum Road and will include a single-lane roundabout. The total cost
of the project is estimated to be $1.4 million, which will be covered completelyfederal funding with the Ohio Department of Transportation.
The district’s school board gathered during a special meeting on Nov. 3 to sign off on an agreement with the county to allow the engi- neer’s office to use land for the roundabout project, a necessary step before construction can begin.
The district approved two easements for the project: a permanent agreement with the county to use a land parcel for pavement widening, drainage and resurfacing to Selma Pike and East Possum Road, a temporary agreement to use land for constructing a driveway.
Clark County Engineer John Burr told the NewsSun that construction of the roundabout is expected to begin in next year while Clark-Shawnee students are out of school for the summer and while many area farmers will not be harvesting crops. The project will be completed prior to the school year’s start.
The Clark County Board of Commissioners voted in favor of proceeding with the roundabout in February 2019 in response to the construction of the new Shawnee Elementary School in order to address increased traffic and pedestrians in the area.
Kuhn said the roundabout was a collaborative effort between the county and the school district.
“We want to see this intersection become safer,” he said.