By 1808Delaware
Last week, the Ohio Department of Transportation released a draft study (view below) that could reshape a wide swath of northern Delaware County and its neighbors. The document, titled Draft Conceptual Alternatives Study: US 23 / I-71 Connector, is the first detailed look at where a new four-lane, limited-access freeway might run between US 23 and I-71.
If built, the road would sit largely in open farm country north of Delaware and around Ashley. But even at this early stage, the choices being narrowed will matter for decades.
Why This Study Is Happening Now
The connector is not just a local idea. According to the executive summary on page 2, ODOT was directed by the Ohio General Assembly to evaluate a preferred route connecting US 23 to I-71 by October 1.
The stated purpose is straightforward: improve connectivity between central and northwest Ohio to support economic development. US 23 is already operating above design capacity in segments, especially between Worthington and Waldo. I-71 carries nearly 68,000 vehicles per day in the study area, with trucks making up roughly 24 percent of that traffic, according to page 5 of the document.
What Area Is Under Consideration
The study area spans about 48,000 acres across northern Delaware County, southeastern Marion County, and southwestern Morrow County. About 82 percent of that land is agricultural.
There are no incorporated cities within the study area itself. Communities like Ashley, Sunbury, Delaware, Cardington, and Waldo sit nearby. The character is rural, with scattered single-family homes along township roads, barns and grain bins, wooded stream corridors, and state-managed lands near Alum Creek and Delaware Wildlife Area. That context matters. This is not an urban infill project. It is a brand-new corridor through largely open land.
Sixteen Possible Routes, Now Down to Five
ODOT initially identified 16 conceptual alignments, each modeled as a 300-foot-wide corridor with interchanges at US 23, US 42, and I-71.
The first major cut was geographic.
South of Ashley: Dismissed
Three alignments south of Ashley were dismissed outright. The reason is clear in the report: they would impact Section 4(f) resources, including areas associated with Delaware State Park, and cross more extensive FEMA-mapped floodplains.
Under federal law, if there is a feasible alternative that avoids parkland and similar protected resources, agencies must use it. Because northern routes could avoid those impacts, the southern options were deemed not viable. That is a strong signal. The path, if it proceeds, will almost certainly be north of Ashley.
North of Ashley: Eight Eliminated, Five Remain
Thirteen northern alignments were evaluated. Eight were screened out, largely because of higher impacts on residential homes and other structures. Five alignments are being advanced for further study and public input:
- N2-1-3
- N2-1-4
- N2-2-4
- N3-1-4
- N3-2-4
These options vary in interchange configurations along US 23 and US 42, but generally show lower relative impacts to homes and structures. At this stage, no “preferred alternative” has been named. But the universe of options has narrowed dramatically.
What Impacts Are Being Measured
The study does not just draw lines on a map. It compares alignments across a consistent set of indicators. On the community side, that includes:
- Residential homes
- Agricultural structures such as barns and silos
- Commercial buildings
- Agricultural land and agricultural districts
On the environmental side, it includes:
- Parklands
- Floodplains
- Wetlands
- Streams, including designated mussel streams
- Forested areas
Several streams in the area, including the Olentangy River and Alum Creek, are identified as potentially harboring protected mussel species. Portions of Whetstone Creek and the Olentangy near Delaware State Park are designated corridor management zones.
In short, this is a complex landscape environmentally, even if it looks open and rural at first glance.
What It Would Cost
Construction costs for the remaining alignments are all estimated in the $500 million range in 2026 dollars. That figure does not include design and engineering, right-of-way acquisition, tolling infrastructure, or potential improvements to I-71 that may be required as part of the project. Those elements will be added as the study progresses.
A later phase would also analyze whether toll revenue could be used to construct and operate the roadway. Tolling has not yet been evaluated in detail.
What Happens Next
Public meetings are scheduled for March 5, March 10, and March 12, with a recommended preferred alternative expected to be presented in July 2026. The final feasibility study is due to state legislators on October 1.
Between now and then, ODOT will:
- Review and respond to public comments
- Refine alignments
- Conduct more detailed geometry and traffic studies
- Analyze toll feasibility Draft-Conceptual-Alternatives-S…
The Bigger Question
Here is the part that deserves serious, grounded conversation. This project is framed as a response to growth and congestion on US 23. That is real. Anyone who has driven that corridor at 8:00 AM or 5:00 PM knows it.
But a new freeway is not just a congestion fix. It is a land-use signal. It changes development patterns, property values, and long-term growth trajectories. It can relieve pressure in one corridor while creating entirely new development fronts elsewhere. The study is doing what it is designed to do: compare routes, measure impacts, and comply with federal requirements. What it does not do, at least yet, is deeply interrogate the secondary growth effects that often follow a new limited-access highway.
If this connector is built, northern Delaware County will not look the same in 20 years. That is neither automatically good nor automatically bad. It simply is. The decision now is not only about which alignment has fewer residential impacts or fewer wetland acres. It is about whether this is the right long-term strategy for addressing mobility, freight movement, and economic development in central Ohio. That conversation is just beginning.
The full study, including maps, can be viewed below.
Draft-Conceptual-Alternatives-Study
