Layout for the dual roundabout. North is at right.Photo: Courtesy Ohio Department of Transportation
(Grafton Township) - The intersection of State Routes 83 and 303 in Lorain County, which is actually two intersections, is considered one of Ohio's 150 most dangerous intersections. The Ohio Department of Transportation hopes to deal with that by replacing the standard "T" intersections with roundabouts.
The two "T" intersections are split by a railroad overpass. Traffic stopping on SR 303 to turn onto SR 83, or continue on SR 303, has limited visibility.
ODOT will close the intersection for about 90 days to build the double roundabout, each of which will be a single lane. For the construction project, these are the detours:
- State Route 83 Detour: SR 83 north to SR 18, west on SR 18 to SR 301, north on SR 301 to U.S. 20, east on U.S. 20 to SR 57, south on SR 57 to SR 82, east on SR 82 to SR 83, and reverse for southbound motorists on SR 83.
- State Route 57 Detour: SR 57 north to SR 18, west on SR 18 to SR 301, north on SR 301 to U.S. 20, east on U.S. 20 to SR 57, and reverse for southbound motorists on SR 57.
- State Route 303 Detour: SR 303 east to SR 301, north on SR 301 to U.S. 20, east on U.S. 20 to SR 57, south on SR 57 to SR 82, east on SR 82 to SR 252, south on SR 252 to SR 303, and reverse for westbound motorists on SR 303.
The intersection was prioritized for safety improvements after Governor DeWine directed ODOT to identify the 150 most dangerous intersections in Ohio. These two intersections have experienced high crash rates and have also appeared on the Ohio Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) Highway Safety Program. This intersection was ranked #69 on ODOT’s 2014 Rural Intersection List and ranked #28 in 2018. From 2013-2022, there were 58 crashes including: 1 fatal crash, 20 injury crashes, and 37 property damage only crashes.
Some of the safety measures that have been taken to date include: restriping the westbound approach of SR 303 to move the westbound lane further north to improve sight distance to the south (1999), adding dual stop signs and stop ahead signs on the eastbound and westbound approaches of SR 303 (2012), adding dual intersection ahead signs and 45 mph advisory speed signs on SR 83 approaches to SR 303 (2013), and the clearing of brush along the SR 83 right-of-way (2016)
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