DEAR EDITOR:

“Just one more lane … I swear I can fix traffic, just let me make one more lane!”

The repeated cry of departments of transportation throughout the country (looking at you TxDOT and the Katy Freeway) with ODOT joining the chorus.

ODOT’s proposal for the 224 corridor is predictable and their heart is in the right place. We do need to improve the safety of that monstrosity of a road. Who can blame highway engineers for looking at a road and deciding that more pavement and more cars is the right answer? When you’re a hammer, everything looks like a nail!

I give credit to the idea of the central median limiting the ability to turn into any driveway at any time and for expanding sidewalks. Limiting access points will decrease chances for collisions.

But choosing to eat up more unpaved land to put down upwards to two more lanes is not going to solve our problems. Firstly, it just creates one more lane for people to erratically weave through traffic and have more points of conflicts with their fellow drivers. More lanes also cede more space and priority to the forced usage of cars in our community and cut out any alternative options. Plus, it’s another few miles of pavement to have to pay for upkeep.

ODOT’s budget balance is far too focused on car infrastructure. The 2024-2025 budget allots around $11 billion over the two years towards the highway fund (including $3 BILLION for fixing the I-71 bridge connecting Cincinnati to Kentucky). Public transit? Around $74 million over the two years. For the entire state. Rail? About $6 million. Why does our transportation department only focus on one modality of transportation?

ODOT states they worked with the county, township and Eastgate as stakeholders. Did one of these organizations represent WRTA? Is it possible to improve our bus options in this redesign? Why not update the roadway to have protected transit space if we’re widening? Take the bus out of the flow of traffic, up its frequency, and it could be something people are willing to take! Or we can keep the status quo, where in the area you get two buses that take an hour, get stuck in the same traffic you’d be driving in to get anywhere and doesn’t run past 6 p.m. or on Sundays. I wonder why most people just choose to drive?

We deserve better options and planning in our communities. We don’t have to keep making car travel our only option. People focus on the freedom that driving brings, but I think we need to consider the freedom for people to have the option not to drive, too.

ANTHONY CASACCHIA

Green Township