ODOT Fires Back.

ODOT's Response to my "Roadway Response" posting. I e-mailed the link to them.
The original post was sent to Gov. Bob Taft, Mayor Michael B. Coleman, both of Ohio's US Senators, my district's US Representative, my district's Ohio Representative, my district's Ohio Sentator, Ohio Department of Transportation, The Central Ohio Transit Authority and people connected with the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Comittee.

"Just a couple things to consider ...

1) All of the designs have been analyzed based on 20-year traffic projections, not current year.

2) All the designs can accommodate light rail across the freeway corridor along High Street, which is were COTA has projected the light rail line to eventually run.

3) Capping under the Grand Boulevard is more expensive than if built under the one way proposals. In addition, because half the capping is used for additional roadway lanes, there is less land available for park space and development on the caps. This is best illustrated by the cap photo you used (labeled Mound/Fulton), which shows more space available for these opportunities when compared with the Grand Boulevard drawing.

4) You have to have money to spend money. We would rather maximize taxpayer dollars for building caps for green space and development than caps for additional roads. The wider footprint of the Grand Boulevard limits this ability.

5) You have significantly underestimated the impact of diverting thousands of vehicles elsewhere during construction. There are very real limits to the amount of "available" capacity on these other roadways. The downtown neighborhoods and businesses we speak with are very concerned about the impact of rerouting traffic during construction. If the diversion of traffic is too large, people will be diverted from downtown destinations, it will create additional gridlock on I-670, SR 104 and downtown city streets and it will increase cut through traffic into neighborhoods.

I respect your right to call us a bunch of "ODOT jerks," but we truly have put a lot of time and effort into weighing the pros and cons of each alternative. Ultimately, we are trying to do the right thing that benefits the most people under very real physical, environmental and financial constraints.

Michelle
Michelle.May@dot.state.oh.us"

AND my e-mail back.....

I should have been more specific about who I called "jerks". I read a Dispatch article a couple weeks ago in which a ODOT employee was actually balking at the concerns and needs of Columbus. Whomever that was... is short sighted and ignorant. If we can make these huge failing bridges for Toledo and decorative bridges freeway for Dayton, I think the city that RUNS Ohio can be given a little more respect.

I also think your department does not give the residents of Columbus any credit. So if I sound a little angry its because I feel the city has been let down countless times before due to lack of planning things out properly and doing things RIGHT the FIRST TIME. We do have resolve to see things through. Do not let the loud cry-babies at your public meetings ruin things for everyone. Business owners DO NOT run the city, people do.

BUT I am completely astonished somebody actually responded to my e-mail, thank you. I apologize if you felt you were personally called any names, please forward that name to the person who deserves it.