Community Awaits Study on West Main Street Roundabout
Vol. III, No. 294 - Troy was supposed to have a study in on the West Main Street Roundabout by March 31st. Residents are still waiting.
A key deadline is upon us, and things have gone quiet.
The Ohio Department of Transportation is supposed to complete a required traffic study — called an OATS study — by March 31, 2026. As of this writing, there has made no public announcement that the study is done. No press release. No update in a council meeting. No word to residents.
That silence is worth talking about.
How We Got Here
In early 2025, the City of Troy asked council to approve a $120,000 study required by the Ohio Department of Transportation for a proposed roundabout at West Main Street and South Stanfield/Experiment Farm Road.
That study was originally due by March 31, 2025. That deadline passed without a completed study and the explantation that it was taking longer than required. The deadline was then extended to March 31, 2026.
That date is now here. There has been no announcement.
What the OATS Study Actually Matters
This publication has previously raised serious concerns about this project — the cost increases, the timing, the question of whether this intersection genuinely needs a roundabout right now. Those concerns have not gone away.
But it’s important to be straightforward with our readers: the OATS study could change the conversation.
The whole point of this study is to look at this intersection with fresh eyes, using updated methodology under the Ohio Department of Transportation’s guidance. It is designed to answer a critical question — what is the best solution here, whether that is a roundabout, improved signals, or something else entirely.
If the OATS study comes back with data that makes a compelling case for this project, the community should look at that data honestly and have an honest conversation. The community should not be rooting against a solution, rather we should be aiming for the right solution, arrived at transparently, with the public fully informed.
The Numbers Still Demand Scrutiny
While we wait for the study, the financial picture continues to be troubling. When this project was first presented to the public in September 2023, the estimated cost was $4.2 million. By January 2025, city staff told council the number had climbed to somewhere between $6 and $7 million. That is a jump of nearly $3 million in 16 months.
The federal grant of $2.5 million is real, and it matters. But even with that funding, Troy taxpayers are looking at an estimated $3.5 to $4.5 million out of pocket — and that estimate was made a year ago; it is doubful those costs have remained steady. Infrastructure projects do not get cheaper with time. Every month of delay without a decision is likely a month of added expense.
The original engineering study found that this intersection currently operates at an acceptable level of service. The afternoon commute is projected to become problematic — but not until around 2047. That timeline has not changed. What has changed is the price tag, and not in taxpayers’ favor.
A Simple Request
The OATS study deadline has now passed twice. Residents who live, drive, and pay taxes in this community deserve to know what ODOT found. Is the study complete? Is it delayed again? What does the data say?
These are not unreasonable questions. They are exactly the kind of questions an informed community should be asking of its local government.
When the study is released, this publication will look at it fully and fairly. Until then, the clock is running out — and the public is still waiting for an answer.
Announcing our March Community Survey!
Every other month, this publication takes time to ask our readers how they feel about the happenings in their hometown! What are the challenges? What are the opportunities? Is your hometown headed in the right direction? Our survey is the easiest way for you to express your thoughts. Next month, this publication will report out on the results.
Thanks for your time and your participation! It is greatly appreciated!
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