TOLEDO, Ohio — A local expansion project on I-475, estimated to cost $217.5 million, aims to widen I-475 between U.S. 23 and Douglas Road, repave entrance and exit ramps and potentially add a diverging diamond at Secor Road.
Opposition groups have formed over the years, with Peggy Daly-Masternak, coordinator of the I-475 expansion neighborhood coalition, voicing significant concerns about the project.
"I'm concerned for my neighbors as much as I am for myself," she said.
The controversy surrounding the project led to a recent unprecedented joint meeting of Toledo City Council and Lucas County commissioners.
Commissioner Pete Gerken emphasized the project's broader economic impact on both the city and county.
"It really affects both the city of Toledo and the county. This is a ring corridor that moves economic developments through the county. It's not just isolated to a district and west Toledo, or the city of Toledo," Gerken said.
The neighborhood coalition believes the project unfairly targets vulnerable communities, including senior citizens, minorities, people with limited English proficiency and low-income residents. Coalition members worry about health, noise and property value impacts.
"It will really impact the neighborhoods badly. The health concerns, the noise concerns, the property value deprecation, all of that ... for an unnecessary project," Daly-Masternak added.
The Ohio Department of Transportation, however, disputes the characterization of the project as unnecessary. The proposed project includes changes that aim to improve traffic flow and safety in the area, and ODOT asserts that the project's primary goal is to increase safety by reducing congestion.
The department conducted an air quality study this summer and offered the option of noise barriers. ODOT confirmed that while some land might be taken, no homes or entire properties would be affected.
ODOT said it has no intention of harming anyone and that the goal of the project is to increase safety - something directly connected to size and congestion.