City scraps roundabout idea for Marshall Road

Kettering has opted against constructing a roundabout at an odd T-intersection at a curve on Marshall Road.

Instead, the city will reduce lanes to increase safety near the Marshall/Lincoln Park Boulevard intersection just off Wilmington Pike, Kettering Project Engineer Chad Ingle said.

It will be part of a larger $2 million upgrade, which will include repaving from Wilmington to East David Road in two years, according to the city.

“The main thing we were looking to accomplish … was how can we make that intersection a little bit more efficient and safer for pedestrians,” Ingle said.

A roundabout and lane reductions were two options Kettering strongly considered for the area, where plans call for a new bike path that is expected to increase activity at the intersection.

Reducing lanes is projected to cost about $600,000, onethird less expensive than a roundabout, Ingle said.

Installing a traffic signal was also examined, but one is “not warranted,” he added. It would have been the most expensive option, requiring a traffic study, Ingle said.

The adopted plan, according to the city, includes:

■ Going north on Marshall, the one travel lane will open to two after the proposed pedestrian crossing just north of the intersection (the road currently expands to two northbound lanes before the intersection).

■ Heading south, two lanes will be maintained coming off Wilmington, but it will quickly reduce down to one lane as motorists approach the Lincoln Park intersection.

The city worked with LJB Engineering on a feasibility study and sent out about 1,000 mailers to surrounding residents, Ingle said.

Residents’ comments were both “positive and negative on the roundabout idea,” Ingle said. “We did get more on the negative side than on the positive side.”

Improvements at the Marshall/Lincoln Park intersection are needed as part of long-term plans to build a bike path on city land behind Claybourne Road, Assistant

City Manager Steve Bergstresser has said. The bike path would run along an old railroad right-of-way, from about Berwin Avenue to the intersection.

The Marshall project will get a $1 million federal grant through the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission, while Kettering will seek other funding options to help offset its remaining share, Bergstresser said.

Aside from the Marshall resurfacing and the intersection work, city records show the project will also include:

■ Constructing an 11-foot wide sidewalk along the south side of Marshall from Wilmington to Lincoln Park Boulevard, and along the north side of the boulevard from Marshall to North Marshall.

■ Upgrading curb ramps to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements along Marshall from Stroop Road to Wilmington.

■ Repairing/replacing deteriorated curb and driveway approaches.