A view of the County Road 25A and state Route 274 intersection in August of 2022. The village of Botkins is seeking to have the road designated as a state route.
Courtesy photo
BOTKINS — The village of Botkins is continuing to work on the project of turning County Road 25A into a state route and secondary emergency route.
Botkins Village Administrator Randy Purdy gave more information on the status of the process.
“The Village of Botkins is actively making progress on several fronts regarding this project,” Purdy said. “We have passed legislation urging the state of Ohio to designate County Road 25A as a state route and secondary emergency route.”
“Additionally, we’ve reached out to neighboring villages and counties encouraging them to consider passing similar legislation to support the initiative.”
Purdy said that Botkins is pursuing this for many reasons including the amount of traffic that comes through the county road, especially in the event of accidents on Interstate 75.
“By designating County Road 25-A as a state route and secondary emergency route, we aim to ensure the road is properly maintained for the high volume of traffic it handles during these situations, while improving safety and reducing long-term costs for out community,” Purdy said.
County Road 25A was once a US route; the route was decommissioned in 1973. Also referred to as Dixie Highway, it spans the state of Ohio. Without the label of “US route,” this stretch of road gets less government funding and puts more financial toll on the communities that it goes through.
Botkins’ focus right now is converting the stretch that directly impacts their community but is trying to encourage ODOT to considering converting the entire stretch of road from a county road to a state route.
“We are currently coordinating with the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency to set up a more formal meeting with ODOT in the coming weeks…” Purdy said.
The effect of backups on I-75 has increased safety concerns for drivers and pedestrians in the community.
“While not everyone may be familiar with the details of municipal budgeting, I’m confident that our residents would prefer if the village could allocate more of their taxpayer dollars toward improving our community, rather than constantly dealing with the effects of diverted interstate traffic,” Purdy said.
Purdy also shared that, if any residents or elected officials in surrounding communities have questions or concerns, they are encouraged to reach out to the village, and they would be happy to address questions and provide information.
Reach Sidney Daily News reporter Anna Edmiston at 937-538-4825.
