In Dublin, the physical and visual relationship of our roadways to their surroundings is so aligned that drivers and passengers barely notice. Yet, in the same moment, they know they are in a place that stands apart from so many other cities, towns and villages.
This attention to aesthetics, appreciation of the environment and respect for safety combine to create a place where people want to live, work, ride a bike, visit a neighbor or take a walk in the park. It’s a place where people want to visit, start a company and attend an event. It’s Dublin.
Since the early 1970s, our City leaders have placed great pride and importance in our infrastructure system – from the type of material used to build the roads to the shade trees that line the medians, from the limestone fences designed to respect our heritage to the seasonal plantings that provide color and beauty year-round.
Yes, there’s more to Dublin’s infrastructure than just roadways.
The Fundamentals
The aim of many of the City’s planning, engineering and economic development efforts is making the trip easier for people and the goods and services Dublin’s businesses produce. This is good for business, but it’s also why Dublin continues to be the place residents want to call home. Safe and easy access for drivers, paired with safe and easy access for bicyclists and pedestrians, makes Dublin an attractive place to do business, and a safe and appealing place to play and live.
One of Dublin’s most fundamental and relevant transportation assets is that it can be easily accessed by three interchanges on Interstate-270: Sawmill Road, U.S. Rt. 33 and State Rt. 161, and Tuttle Crossing Boulevard. This makes it easy to move both freight and people in, around and through the City. It takes more, however, than well-planned freeway access to create a thriving community. Rebuilding the I-270/U.S. 33 interchange, continuously improving local traffic flow and adding more (and safer) pedestrian and bike-friendly facilities are a critical part of the Dublin transportation network.
And the outgrowth of this network is enormous.
Economic Development
City of Dublin Development Director Donna Goss notes Dublin’s diverse transportation portfolio makes existing businesses want to stay here, attracts new jobs and brings revenue into the community.
“Dublin’s ease of circulation and connectivity is a great selling point to businesses considering locating here,” Goss says. “It’s a big tool in our tool kit for getting businesses to give Dublin a serious look. When traffic problems do emerge, our team works hard to resolve them as quickly as possible so we retain the jobs we already have.”
Goss points to transportation projects at both ends of Dublin’s 5.6-mile Emerald Parkway as examples. At the southwest terminus near Tuttle Crossing Boulevard, traffic back-ups were frustrating the many office building owners and tenants in the area.
Dublin and the City of Columbus partnered to build two new roundabouts in the area to improve rush hour flow and access to I-270 at Tuttle Crossing Boulevard. A key segment of the bike path also was completed. Now, employees spend less time in traffic, and pedestrians and bicyclists can get around more easily, too. Building leases were renewed and jobs were retained.
The eastern leg of Emerald Parkway, which ends at Sawmill Parkway, was completed in 2014. This was the capstone to an 18-year effort to link both sides of the Scioto River and provide a critical east-west connector between Dublin, Columbus, Hilliard and Worthington. For Dublin’s economic development team, it opens up 115 acres of prime land to promote to prospective businesses considering Dublin.
“We can offer these companies high visibility for their brand on acreage that fronts I-270, just like Cardinal Health and 11 other of Dublin’s largest employers,” Goss says. She adds that businesses located along Emerald Parkway generate about $17 million annually in tax revenue.
Safety is Paramount
Dublin’s well-planned transportation system also includes 105 miles of shared-use paths.
“I refer to it as our bike path instead of bike paths, since, with the exception of a few small slivers, our shared-use path system is fully connected,” says Matt Earman, Dublin’s Director of Parks and Recreation. “Those paths make it possible for kids and families to get everywhere around Dublin without a car. Kids can ride their bikes to school safely, or hop on their bikes to go fish at a pond or play baseball at a park. We even have parking for bicycles at major events. I often hear that our beautiful bike paths are one reason why people choose to live here.”
Earman says other recent transportation improvements have made it easier for sporting events that attract a lot of out-of-town visitors.
“Most people think about driving to and from work Monday through Friday, but our weekends are very busy, too,” says Earman. “We attract many major sports tournaments for soccer, baseball and even cricket. When our parks are busy, our roads are impacted. In the last several years, the City has made great strides to improve ingress and egress. The new roundabout at Darree Fields and Cosgray Road, in particular, has made a huge difference in improving safety and keeping vehicles moving. Overall, I think the roundabouts make moving around Dublin so much safer and more efficient.”
Earman is quick to add that making Dublin easier to access by car, bike and foot makes a good impression on those who visit.
“We have more than 2.5 million visitors in Dublin each year. When they have a good experience, they want to come back,” Earman says.
Well-Maintained Roadways Set the Standard for Quality
The physical appearance of a City has long been considered a sign of its economic health and prosperity. In addition to addressing safety features, Dublin’s roadway system is designed to be visually appealing with landscaped medians, roundabouts and rights-of-way encompassing plants, trees and public art.
With its emphasis on healthy lifestyles, Dublin also incorporates striped bike lanes with sharrows that are an integral part of the City’s bicycle transportation network.
Dublin Director of Public Works Megan O’Callaghan oversees a team of professionals dedicated to maintaining the City’s transportation needs.
“Our team takes this work very seriously,” she says. “We are constantly analyzing crash data, traffic growth, demographic trends, resident and business needs, and public input. We use this information to make continuous improvements in our transportation network. Whether it’s filling potholes and plowing snow to building a new roundabout or bike path, we are dedicated to making Dublin the best place possible to live, work and play.”
The “Greening” of Dublin Begins at our Gateways
The “greening” of Dublin has long been valued not only as a means of beautification, but also for its environmental stewardship.
The gateways to Dublin stand out as distinctively as the City itself. Limestone fences and beautiful floral plantings roll out the “Welcome to Dublin” mat at the City’s entryways.
In Historic Dublin, planters and street trees signify beautification efforts, which are replicated by residents in their own neighborhoods. Not only do these efforts add to the natural environment of the community, they also provide visual cues that slow traffic for pedestrian-friendly access.
The New Walkable, Urban Environment
As the City’s transportation network comes full circle, Dublin looks to its future to bridge history and vision through the development of the Bridge Street District.
This new urban, walkable environment will connect Historic Dublin on the west side of the Scioto River to the east side. Just as the City’s bike paths connect neighborhoods and points of interest, Bridge Street will connect residential housing, businesses and entertainment venues on both sides of the river.
A pedestrian bridge will rise high above the river banks, providing residents and visitors alike a way to stay connected to the past and the present, while the new State Route 161/Riverside Drive roundabout and connector streets will offer easy access to the new development and the surrounding Dublin neighborhoods.
