In an effort to improve vehicular and pedestrian safety at the intersection of Route 229 and Wiggin Street, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) will begin construction of a roundabout at the main entrance to Gambier beginning June 1.
State transportation officials conducted a safety study of the intersection following a fatal collision in December 2020 that killed a 21-year-old Gambier resident and injured three others. A total of 25 accidents have taken place at the intersection since 2013.
Construction is expected to be completed by the end of the fall 2024 semester. The intersection will be closed to pedestrians and vehicles during the work, with traffic redirected to other routes.
To get to Mount Vernon from Kenyon’s campus, it is recommended that drivers take Route 308 (Chase Avenue) north to U.S. 36 (Coshocton Avenue). Additional detour details will be forthcoming.
Other changes are expected to make the intersection safer for pedestrians, too, who cross to reach the Brown Family Environmental Center (BFEC) on Laymon Road. A crosswalk will be installed at the edge of the roundabout, and it will be connected to a new sidewalk along Wiggin.
The one-lane roundabout, which was designed with input from the College and Village of Gambier, will require a large retaining wall along Route 229 because it will need to cut into the hill.
Alternative solutions were considered — such as a traffic signal — but were ultimately found to not meet either state or federal guidelines. A roundabout was selected because its design requires vehicles to slow down and requires drivers and pedestrians to keep track of traffic from only one direction at a time, reducing both the frequency and severity of accidents.
The College will be working with officials in Gambier and College Township as well as at ODOT to anticipate and alleviate any issues — including pedestrian safety concerns in the Village — that may occur due to the changed traffic patterns while the intersection is closed.