ActivePaper Archive U.S. 35 superstreet could cut traffic - Dayton Daily News, 12/3/2017

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U.S. 35 superstreet could cut traffic

Project would make Beavercreek section safer, ODOT says.

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The Ohio Department of Transportation plans to build the state’s second superstreet along U.S. 35 in the area of Factory Road and Orchard Lane in Beavercreek. CONTRIBUTED

A major U.S. 35 construction project could make a busy section in Beavercreek less congested and safer, but getting motorists accustomed to the new traffic pattern will be a challenge.

That’s according to officials with the Ohio Department of Transportation, who recently held a well-attended meeting with the public to share the latest on the U.S. 35 superstreet project.

The project calls for creating u-turns instead of left-hand turns on U.S. 35 at the Orchard Lane and Factory Road intersections, an area which had 100 crashes over the last three years, according to ODOT District 8 spokesman Brian Cunningham.

“What the superstreet will do will allow more traffic to flow through that particular area. It will help decrease the severity of crashes,” Cunningham said.

The superstreet can cut traffic congestion by as much as 53 percent, but likely will involve a learning curve for motorists.

“It will take some time for folks to familiarize themselves with the different traffic patterns,” Cunningham said.

Drivers traveling across U.S. 35 from Factory Road and Orchard Lane won’t be able to go straight through without turning right and making a U-Turn. Those who want to go left onto U.S. 35 also would have to make a U-turn to get through.

The only superstreet in Ohio spans three intersections of the Ohio 4 bypass in Butler County. It opened in the fall of 2011 and the Journal-News reported a year later that some motorists were still puzzled by the traffic pattern change.

Anthony Smerk knows all about driving on that stretch of U.S. 35 in Beavercreek, especially the daily rush-hour backups. He works with the Beavercreek Soccer Association, which hosts games at parks near the area.

“It can be a pain ... We live in a generation everybody wants to get there quick,” Smerk said. “If all this works out it’s better for everybody, we’re all on board. There’s no problem with that.”

Construction on the project is slated to begin by 2019 and end the following year at a cost of $16 to $17 million, according to ODOT.

Contact this reporter at

937-225-6985 or email

Richard.Wilson@coxinc.com.