Wheels Turning on US 68 / SR 31 Roundabout

Kenton City Council met Tuesday evening for their 10th regular session of 2024. During the meeting the potential US68/SR31 roundabout was discussed extensively. The goal of the project is to improve safety of motorists and pedestrians. While a bypass was the preferred option for Kenton’s administration, the state of Ohio declined and opted to perform multiple studies to form alternatives, eventually a roundabout was deemed the best option by the Ohio Department of Transportation. The city hoped that ODOT would foot the majority of the bill and it seems they got their wish with the city only being on the hook for an estimated $660,331 of the $5.5mil project. $275,438 of the said $660,331 has already been earmarked in this years budget that means the city will need to find the remaining $384,893 by the start of the project in 2026 should they approve the plan, they will work with Mark Doll to find potential funding options. While no decision has been made we could see legislation on the project as early as the next meeting on June 10th. Councilman David Beazley and Council President Joel Althauser expressed a desire to let said legislation go through all three readings as to let the public voice their potential concerns and ask questions.