As a result of the construction along U.S. Route 27, members of the Oxford community have expressed complaints about navigating the roadway.
While Oxford residents and Miami University students agree that the U.S. Route 27 construction will be good for the city when completed, many people are frustrated with the traffic problems caused by road closures.
Miami sophomore Matt Price, who lives at Church and Elm streets, said the construction blocks off all of the streets he needs to use.
"When I have to go to Kroger, it's a hassle," Price said. "I can't use Church Street very well."
Miami junior Mike Kula agrees that the construction has been a bit of a hindrance to his routine.
"The speed limit on Church (Street) has gone from 35 (miles per hour) to 25 (miles per hour), making the drive to Wal-Mart a bit longer," Kula said.
Both agree that while construction has provided some roadblocks now, it will be good in the end.
"It's going to be really nice when it's done, but it's horrible right now," Price said. "I know it will be better in the future."
Kula said he understands that there have to be benefits to the construction or else the city would not be doing it.
In addition to students affected by construction, the Oxford Fire Department (OFD) has had to work to change their driving routes.
OFD chief Len Endress said that the construction has caused the fire department to rethink some of their responses and call in mutual aid to other fire departments on occasion.
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Endress said that there have been times during construction when the OFD has had to change their route when responding to a call.
"With some delays it has been quicker to go alternate ways than trying to maneuver through College Corner Pike areas," Endress said.
However, Endress said the construction workers halting and slowing traffic have been very good at stopping traffic and clearing the way for emergency vehicles when necessary.
In addition, Endress said the city has been very good about alerting the OFD to road closings and alternate routes. He said the Oxford city engineer has helped make sure fire hydrants located along U.S. Route 27 have remained accessible.
"The foreman for the construction company has called a number of times to let us know what areas will be closed," he said.
Overall, Endress is pleased with how the construction has gone so far.
"It has gone much better than I thought it might have gone," he said. "They've done a really good job of keeping us informed of what's going on. They've worked to let us into an area when we need it."
Despite this optimism, some students still find the construction frustrating.
Miami junior Jennifer Woolum said she often has difficulty getting to work at Maurice's clothing store, along U.S. Route 27, as a result of the construction.
"(The construction is) a pain because it takes me twice as long to get to work than it should," Woolum said. "If there is an accident, that whole street is blocked off."
She said the most frustrating part of the construction has been traffic congestion. She said it can take twice as long as it used to in order to get from one end of U.S. Route 27 to the other.
Oxford city council member Alan Kyger said that while the construction has been an inconvenience, when it is done it will increase property values, business appeal and aesthetics.
Construction on U.S. Route 27 began in mid-April, explained Oxford's City Engineer Victor Popescu. While Kyger estimates that construction will be complete before graduation, Popescu said he believes construction will be complete around Memorial Day.
According to Kyger, construction was expected to be complete at the end of October. However, due to a late start because of gas and electric lines that had to be moved along the route, Kyger said that construction will now hit a delay around the winter months.
According to Popescu, this delay will be a result of the temperature required to put down the final layer of asphalt. He said that asphalt cannot be laid once the pavement temperature goes below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, he said that the delay until the spring will occur because asphalt factories will shut down for the winter season since asphalt cannot be laid during cold temperatures. As a result, construction will begin again when asphalt factories reopen in the spring months, between April 1 and April 15 Popescu said.
Popescu added that any additional delays from that point on could come from concrete work that will have to be replaced along the roadway because people did not adhere to the warnings to not drive on the concrete until it is dry.
Popescu said that the U.S. Route 27 construction has been in the works for years and that people in Oxford knew about it but that sometimes frustrations come from forgetting that it was scheduled.
Kyger added that while the city can make people aware of the construction, until it was actually underway, people could not understand the full ramifications.
"I don't know what can be done to make it better," Kyger said.
He added that the only alternative that could have made construction better for residents was doing nighttime construction, but he said that this would have cost the city a great deal more money.
Despite complaints of traffic problems, Kyger said the benefits of the construction can be seen in the sidewalk that has been completed on one side of U.S. Route 27 South. He said this sidewalk has allowed citizens to walk, ride bikes or use wheelchairs without being in the middle of traffic.
Popescu echoed Kyger's observations about the visible benefits of the construction. He said the only negative complaints he has heard have been about the traffic patterns. However, he believes that portions of these complaints are a result of people not paying attention to traffic signs.
He added that he is also aware of the satisfaction that citizens are already having with the sidewalk.
Even though construction will not be complete until the spring, Popescu said that it is difficult to judge whether or not the project is still on schedule from the original plans.
"That's difficult to say whether they are on or not because we have changed some of the plans to expedite the traffic," Popescu said. "You can't compare (now) with the original schedule."
Kyger said that residents will see relief from the construction as it shuts down for the winter.
"You're going to see a lull period where they can't do anything until they get more asphalt," he said.
Popescu added that residents could see relief from construction as early as the end of the month, but in the mean time, he encourages drivers to be patient and careful and to not speed in construction zones.
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