BY GUNNAR NIXON
In 365 days, the city of Cincinnati on average accumulates 42 inches of rain and experiences precipitation for 132 of those days. And in a riverside valley that lay beneath Sunrise Church, a strip of road known as the 8085th block of Wooster leaves commuters, weary travelers, and residents of Mariemont and Terrace Park affected by the culmination of rainwater.
With few alternative routes, the onset of storms in Columbia Township often leads commuters through this low lying section of State Route 50 where they are prompted with high water, hydroplaning, and a consequent longer commute.
Senior Ben Phelan, who travels the road nearly every day in his journey to school as well as extra-curriculars, describes the hydroplaning as “absolutely terrifying.”.
“In my first few months of driving I experienced hydroplaning that pushed me nearly into the lane of oncoming traffic,” said Phelan, who drives a 2002 all-wheel drive Audi A6.
Due to the steep incline that parallels this section of road, great amounts of water as well as debris drain to this low point leaving the road nearly entirely submerged.
However with neither Terrace Park nor Mariemont laying claim to the land, it makes for a sticky situation. “It being a state road, the issue falls under the responsibility of the Ohio Department of Transportation,” explained Tom Tepe, the current mayor of Terrace Park.
On April 8th of 2016, Tepe attended an Eastern Corridor Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) workshop held at Mariemont High School expressing his concerns on the matter. Unfortunately, the state continues to save the matter for a rainy day while the road condition continues.
“Affecting commuters from the east and the west, the flooding not only becomes an inconvenience for drivers but also a safety hazard,” says Tepe, adding that he himself has experienced hydroplaning while traveling the flooded section of road.
Mariemont Mayor Dan Policastro made no comment on the subject other than that the road is also not under the jurisdiction of Mariemont but instead Columbia Township. Just as well, Columbia Township administrator Mike Lemon explained that he has also made efforts to encourage ODOT to work towards a solution, but to no avail.
On the contrary, ODOT spokesman Brian Cunningham communicated that the issue is a major safety concern and therefore reigns should be paramount on the list of ODOT’s priorities.
“The water along that section of road is not draining as intended so we will be looking and making changes to some of the drains and water trapping systems in order for the water to drain more effectively,” says Cunningham, who revealed that the state department does have plans to fix the draining problems in the near future in preparation for a 2-million-dollar repaving project that will occur about a mile northeast of the road.
“We want to make sure that taxpayer’s dollars are being used to fix issues such as the flooding and so we hope to have it fixed in the near future,” says Cunningham.