ODOT proposes RCUT redesign for Route 32, Route 247 intersection

ODOT is targeting the State Route 32 and State Route 247 intersection in Adams County for a major safety overhaul after years of crash data showed a pattern the agency says cannot be ignored. The plan would replace the current signalized intersection with a Reduced Collision U-Turn, or RCUT, design, a change aimed at cutting the rear-end and angle crashes that have made the Seaman-area corridor a concern for daily drivers.

Under the proposal, traffic on SR 247 would no longer be able to turn left or drive straight across SR 32. Instead, drivers would turn right and make a legal U-turn at a nearby crossover, a layout ODOT says reduces conflict points and simplifies decisions on a high-speed roadway. The agency’s project page says the same treatment is being considered because of the crash history at the site. It also proposes to close access from Tranquility Pike to SR 32 entirely, citing the high share of injury crashes tied to that location, while building a new connection to Burnt Cabin Road north of SR 32 in the Village of Seaman to preserve truck movement.

The numbers behind the plan are stark. ODOT says that from 2019 through 2023 there were 19 crashes at the two intersections combined, 10 at Tranquility Pike and nine at SR 32/247. About 80% of those crashes involved injuries, and one was fatal. ODOT says most of the crashes were rear-end and angle collisions, the same types RCUTs are designed to reduce. Construction is not expected to begin until 2028, so the June public meeting is the first step in a longer review process, not the start of work.

Residents will get a chance to study the proposal in person at a public open house Tuesday, June 30, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Seaman Community Building, 17806 OH 247, Seaman, Ohio 45679. There will be no formal presentation. Comments can be submitted through July 30. Tom Barnitz, P.E., is the ODOT District 9 contact listed for the project, with the office at 650 Eastern Avenue in Chillicothe and the phone number (740) 774-8877.

The Federal Highway Administration describes RCUTs, also called Restricted Crossing U-turns, J-turns, Superstreets, or Reduced Conflict Intersections, as a proven safety countermeasure because they cut the number of crossing conflicts. FHWA says RCUTs can reduce conflict points by as much as 50%, with 18 conflict points compared with 32 at a conventional intersection. With ODOT District 9 also handling a separate SR 247 culvert replacement closure in Adams County this month, the county’s state-route network is already under close scrutiny, and the Route 32 redesign will test how far safety changes can be pushed before they reshape everyday travel in Seaman.