By 1808Delaware
For many residents of southern Delaware County, Interstate 71 is close enough to hear but not always easy to reach. Drivers from Orange and Genoa townships often rely on congested local roads to reach the Polaris-Gemini interchange to the south or the U.S. 36-State Route 37 interchange to the north. A long-discussed proposal would create another option between them, building a new I-71 interchange at or near Big Walnut Road.
The project remains in development, with no construction date established. Its inclusion among the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission’s newest priority projects, however, is giving the decades-old idea renewed regional attention.
More Than A Pair Of Ramps
The proposed interchange would be located near I-71 mile marker 124 in Orange Township, close to Alum Creek State Park. A project profile released through MORPC’s Competitive Advantage Projects program describes a new interchange at Big Walnut Road, also known as Township Road 109, accompanied by improvements to roads within roughly one-half mile.
The proposal would also add bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, including shared-use paths connecting nearby neighborhoods. A possible park-and-ride facility could eventually support fixed-route transit service into Columbus or Westerville, although that portion remains conceptual and would require additional study. The Delaware County Engineer’s Office is leading the project in partnership with the Ohio Department of Transportation and MORPC.
Creating A Missing Connection
The interchange is intended to connect I-71, the county’s principal north-south highway, with the Lewis Center Road-Big Walnut Road corridor, one of the primary east-west routes through southern Delaware County.
According to the Delaware County Engineer’s project page, that connection could support travel patterns affecting as much as 90 percent of the county’s population. Traffic modeling also indicates that a new interchange could draw some vehicles away from parallel north-south routes, including U.S. 23 and Cleveland Avenue.
The project is not being presented primarily as a way to open undeveloped land. County officials say much of the surrounding area is already occupied by neighborhoods or preserved as part of Alum Creek State Park. Instead, they describe the interchange as a response to growth that has already occurred in Orange and Genoa townships. It could also provide another access point for police, fire and emergency medical crews responding to incidents on I-71 or providing mutual aid across southern Delaware County.
A Shorter Route To Alum Creek
The project’s reach would extend beyond daily commuting. Visitors towing boats or driving recreational vehicles to Alum Creek State Park must now approach its major facilities through local routes from the Polaris-Gemini or U.S. 36-State Route 37 interchanges. A closer exit could shorten those trips, simplify wayfinding and reduce the number of large recreational vehicles traveling on local roads. New paths and sidewalks could also improve connections between the park and residential areas east of I-71.
The MORPC profile estimates that the project would support 1,320 jobs through positions created or retained. MORPC classifies the interchange as a Tier I Competitive Advantage Project, a designation used for proposals considered strongly aligned with regional infrastructure and economic-development priorities.
That Tier I designation is part of MORPC’s advocacy program. ODOT’s Transportation Review Advisory Council uses a separate ranking system. The County Engineer’s Office says the interchange has held Tier II status in the state process since 2018, allowing continued project development but not authorizing construction.
A Plan Decades In The Making
An interchange in the area appeared in transportation planning as early as 1987. The idea became more formal during the late 1990s as development accelerated around Polaris and was included in the county’s 2001 thoroughfare plan. A feasibility study conducted from 2006 through 2009 found that the interchange could attract substantial traffic. It also concluded that the added traffic would require another lane on I-71 between the new interchange and the Gemini Place area. The cost placed the project beyond the immediate reach of local and state transportation budgets, and work was suspended.
Delaware County returned to the proposal in 2015. Subsequent studies identified three possible ramp configurations, two connecting through Africa Road and one through Big Walnut Road.
The alternative placing ramp intersections on Africa Road north of Big Walnut Road has been used to develop preliminary costs and a potential funding plan. It has not been selected as the preferred alternative. That decision would require additional engineering, environmental work and public review.
Two Cost Estimates And No Construction Date
The current MORPC project profile places the estimated cost at $67 million. The County Engineer’s project page lists a broader preliminary estimate of $98 million, including nearby improvements to Africa, Big Walnut and Lewis Center roads and a fourth northbound lane on I-71 between Gemini Place and the proposed interchange. The published materials do not explain the difference between the two figures, which may reflect different scopes or stages of planning.
County officials anticipate using a combination of local, state and federal transportation money for property acquisition and construction. The county says no additional tax levies are being considered for Orange or Genoa townships and that neither township would be required to finance the interchange.
Before construction could begin, the project would still need to clear several major steps. Those include completion of feasibility work, selection of a preferred alternative, public review, environmental studies and federal approval of an interchange justification study. The County Engineer’s published schedule lists construction as “to be determined.” For now, the Big Walnut Interchange remains a proposed answer to one of southern Delaware County’s defining transportation problems: a rapidly growing population living between major highways but without a convenient connection between them.
MORPC’s decision to keep the project among Central Ohio’s top infrastructure priorities does not put bulldozers on the ground. It does keep the proposal in front of the agencies and lawmakers whose support will determine whether the long-planned exit finally becomes part of I-71.
