County Engineer Greg Wilkens told the Journal-News the final closure on the $32.5 million reconfiguration project was supposed to occur Wednesday night but this final touch that wasn’t anticipated.
Spokeswoman Betsy Horton told the Journal-News “we didn’t know about this one” but “the crux of the project was to have the eastbound/westbound movement connected to Cox and remove the ramp going to Liberty Way, which is now operational.”
There were some complaints on Facebook Wednesday.
“The new exit for Liberty Way from 129 is open. YOU MUST GO STRAIGHT to Cox Rd to exit,” one person posted. “They do NOT have it marked very well. There is a sign but it’s right before the exit. So many confused drivers this morning.”
Horton told the Journal-News complaints are to be expected when such a drastic change debuts. The interchange reconfiguration wasn’t the only piece of this massive project. The new interchange design takes Ohio 129 over to the new roundabout at Cox Road; Veterans Boulevard was extended and improved with two new roundabouts at a cost of $4.9 million. Next spring Liberty Way will be widened for an estimated $3 million. The total cost of all the work was estimated at $32.5 million.
“The traffic pattern is still new, but we are confident motorists will navigate it well after a few weeks,” Horton said. “The Liberty Way widening in 2023 will increase capacity, at that time the efficiency and safety benefits of the three improvement projects working together will be more evident to the traveling public.”
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