MAUMEE, Ohio (WTVG) - The Ohio Department of Transportation is giving Maumee $900,000 for construction on Dussel Drive to inform a safety study.
Transportation leaders want to see how different construction can impact road safety and speed management.
City of Maumee Public Service Director Matthew Griggs said the study will focus on one main thing.
“The benefits to the city from the improvements made to the street,” Griggs said.
The section of Dussel Drive chosen for the project runs from Picadilly Lane to Key Street. Griggs said ODOT specifically wanted to look at areas where the speed limit is 25 mph.
Plans are still in the works, but Griggs said based on the schematics, there are a few design elements that have been suggested to slow traffic. That includes raised crosswalks, reducing lanes from Picadilly to Cass from four lanes to two and adding a median, and removing old traffic signals to put in a three-way stop at Key Street.
“The Picadilly [and Dussel] intersection is a very wide four-lane intersection. It’s a three-way [stop],” Griggs added. “It’s kind of a goofy layout. We looked at a couple of different design capabilities of that intersection.”
Another suggestion was to bring in the curbs on Dussel Drive and Key Street to shorten the crosswalk distance to make it safer for people crossing by the school, Griggs said.
Maumee City Council approved an ordinance authorizing the mayor or public service director to enter into an agreement with ODOT for the project.
The city will accept the money for the study, but will foot the bill for any extra construction costs above the $900,000 granted. Griggs said he is focused on staying within the city’s budget.
During the city council meeting, Griggs noted that he helped scale down some of the plans to not spend additional money. While it is not finalized, the scope of the Dussel project sits at about $1.1 million, Griggs said.
He heard that if other municipalities participating in the study dropped out, Maumee could receive more money.
“It’s not my intention to spend any more money than necessary to make this thing happen and we’re always glad to work with ODOT on projects,” Griggs said.
Even though it was approved by the city council, the project is still a ways away. Designs will be finalized in 2026, ODOT will host public input sessions on the designs, and bidding for the construction will not start until 2027, according to Briggs.