Bluffton officials working with ODOT planners viewed an artist's rendition of what State Route 103 might look like following a 2023 widening project.

- Monday's council packet is attached at the bottom of this story -

The bottom view show SR 103 near County Line Road. The top view shows the road as it approaches Wendy’s Restaurant.

Several observations include:
• a pedestrian path on the south side of the road. It will cross the road in the top view and will connect to the I-75 business district.

• street lights, providing additional visibility to vehicle traffic and pedestrians.

• the lights connect Interstate 75 to Jefferson Street and on to Main Street, designed to attract traffic toward the retail district of Bluffton.

• The second set of images show a center turning lane as a possibility for SR 103, provided ODOT’s traffic counts are high enough to merit a passing lane.

$1.4 million Transportation Alternatives Program
The SR 103 upgrade planning is several years in the making. In 2019 the village passed legislation to apply to ODOT’s Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) for funding. 

ODOT has estimated the SR 103 improvements could cost $1,448,066. The village’s share of that cost would total only 5 percent.