State agrees to fund 127/Kruckeberg intersection reconstruction

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GREENVILLE — An Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) announcement should cheer those pressing for improvements at the intersection of U.S. Route 127 and Kruckeberg Road on the east side of Greenville.

ODOT District 7 Traffic Planning Engineer Mary Hoy announced the state has agreed to fund the installation of a Partial RCUT (Restricted Crossing U Turn) at the juncture.

Hoy said ODOT was awarded a total of $748,620 — $99,000 for the design phases and $649,620 for construction.

The announcement comes approximately seven months after ODOT conducted a heavily attended public meeting in Greenville to discuss options for improving the intersection.

The Partial RCUT solution is one of six options that were presented at the meeting. Options presented by ODOT included closing the intersection entirely or installing a median to block cross traffic, among others.

There have been 45 vehicle wrecks at the 127/Kruckeberg intersection from 2011 to 2015, including two fatalities. However, it was the August 2, 2016, death of Greenville teen Elias Burr, 16, at the intersection that brought together members of the community to press for action.

The announcement was welcome news for Stacy Peters of Greenville, who helped spearhead community efforts for improvements at the intersection. Peters and her husband, Jesse, were friends of Burr’s, and created an online petition soon after the accident asking the state to close the intersection.

“I can’t say enough about [Darke County Engineer] Jim Surber, Mary Hoy, and the ODOT team, and how they worked together and listened to the people of the county,” she said.

“Whenever people can work together for change, better solutions often happen quickly,” she added. “We suffered a great loss, and if we can save anyone else from this type of heartache, it will be well worth the time and effort we put towards it.”

“The comments received from the public absolutely informed and assisted our decision-making,” said Hoy. “Our area motorists are the ones who travel these roads, so their input is important to us. ODOT has consistently found that public input improves our projects.”

Mandi Dillon, District 7 Public Information Officer, said the reconstruction of the intersection is tentatively scheduled to begin in the summer of 2019.

Shown is a representation of the Partial Restricted Crossing U Turn (RCUT) the Ohio Department of Transportation will install at the intersection of U.S. Route 127 and Kruckeberg Road. Many in the community called for closure or improvement of a juncture they deemed hazardous.
https://www.dailyadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/web1_EXHIBIT_Partial_RCut-PRINT.jpgShown is a representation of the Partial Restricted Crossing U Turn (RCUT) the Ohio Department of Transportation will install at the intersection of U.S. Route 127 and Kruckeberg Road. Many in the community called for closure or improvement of a juncture they deemed hazardous. ODOT graphic
$748K set aside to reconstruct controversial juncture

By Erik Martin

[email protected]

The writer may be reached at 937-569-4314. Join the conversation and get updates on Facebook search Darke County Sports or Advocate 360. For more features online go to dailyadvocate.com

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