Olde Sawmill Civic Association

Hard Road Construction Update

Jul 13, 2000

By Richard Cook
Olde Sawmill Resident

Hard Road - mention these two words and a chill goes down your spine. The road that has been scheduled to be re-engineered for more than a decade. The road some say should be widened; others say it's just fine, leave it alone.

Well it seems the road will be widened after all starting Spring 2002, according to Bill Carter of Columbus Engineering. In a special meeting held June 19th, Mr. Carter and members of URS Greiner Engineers fielded questions from residents along Hard Road and neighboring areas. The primary purpose of the meeting was to ask residents what kind of median might they prefer if given a choice. Three styles of medians were presented:
1)Concrete only
2)Concrete and shrub plantings
3)Concrete, pavers, iron grates and trees.

The concrete median was the cheapest - a left-hand curb, concrete and a right-hand curb - simple. A concrete median with shrubs was more costly and the City of Columbus would not be responsible for maintain the median plantings. The homeowner assoiations along Hard Road, including OSCA, would be required to maintain the median vegitation.

The final and most expensive option was decorative pavers and trees. A tree would be placed every 50 feet with iron grating around its base, making Hard Road a beautiful boulevard. For this reason, Mr. Carter and URS Greiner Inc. recommended the decorative paver and tree option. It was unanimous, all neighbors in attendance voted for the paver, iron grate and tree proposal.

How will this additional enhancement to Hard Road be funded? This was the second reason for the meeting. Mr. Carter and URS Greiner Inc. would like a letter of support from the Far Northwest Coalition for the added beautification. The Far Northwest Coalition is composed of numerous northwest homeowner associations, including Olde Sawmill Civic Association. There is approximately $830,000 Federal dollars to be divided among Central Ohio projects, similar to Hard Road. The group that makes the most noise usually comes away with the largest sum. Mr. Carter felt we had a very good chance of qualifying for a sizable amount of the monies available. The final decision date is unknown at this time. OSCA will keep you informed.

The Hard Road project is divided into three (3) phases - A, B and C - Starting with Phase B, followed by Phase c and finishing with Phase A.
Phase A = Sawmill to Smokey Row Road
Phase B = Smokey Row Road to Linworth Road
Phase C = Linworth Road to SR 315.

Train traffic will be routed 50 feet East of the existing line, using a separate line of tracks to be installed. This is one reason Kilbourne High School will be losing student parking spaces in their front lot. Kilbourne HS has decided to build a new parking lot behind the school to make up for the lost spaces.

A public forum will be held in September 2000 to gain final approval for the Hard Road design. Specific information regarding date, time and location will be announced.

Mr. Carter and URS Greiner Inc. received many thanks for fielding questions and taking time to help residents understand the overall Hard Road project.