Photo courtesy of the City of Pickerington
Following the completion of a $7 million roadway project later this year, the State Rt. 256 corridor is going to almost double its tree population.
The City of Pickerington has made a $300,000 commitment to replace the nearly 230 existing trees with more than 400 new trees. Many of the current trees have been damaged or destroyed by weather. Others, at the end of their lifespans, have been ravaged by disease. Because of the expansion of the northbound and southbound lanes on State Rt. 256, it is not possible to keep the Bradford pears that often stretch over the roadway and become damaged by passing trucks.
Pickerington City Engineer Scott Tourville said the new trees that will line the corridor have been selected based on their growth rates, root structure, durability, tolerance to salt and aesthetics. The new trees will be strategically placed this year and the following year to enhance the beauty of the area. They will be carefully positioned so that they do not block business signage.
Some of the existing trees have caused the sidewalk to buckle, Tourville said.
“These trees will be located behind the sidewalk, so they are further away from the road,” he said.
“We’ve selected five different species, so the corridor should continue to be very aesthetically pleasing once the work is completed.”
The Ohio Department of Transportation’s Safety and Beautification project will get underway in late April or early May.
It will create four northbound lanes just north of State Rt. 204 to the I-70 eastbound entrance ramp; three northbound lanes from a point 400 feet south of Rt. 204 to 256; and three southbound lanes from Rt. 204 to the traffic signal at Kroger/Giant Eagle.
Tourville said there will also be a new southbound right turn lane from Rt. 256 to westbound Refugee Road; raised medians throughout the corridor to help control access and improve traffic flow; and new Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant curb ramps.
The project will also allow the City to complete segments of missing sidewalk along the Rt. 256 corridor and include traffic signal/intersection lighting upgrades to the nine existing signalized intersections.
When the construction work is complete, almost six miles of Rt. 256 from I-70 to the east corporation limit by the community gardens will be resurfaced.
Each day, more than 30,000 vehicles travel Rt. 256.
While the facelift cannot eliminate congestion challenges on the interstate, Tourville said the construction project will significantly improve the traffic flow within the City.
“These changes should provide roadway capacity to handle the anticipated growth in the area for the next several decades,” he said.
