Bypass location for state Route 33 tops officials' agenda

by Natalie Long
For The Post

Athens County commissioners discussed the Ohio Department of Transportation’s proposal for a state Route 33 bypass around Nelsonville at yesterday’s meeting.

“The design they’ve got now is probably the worst possible design they could come up with,” commissioner Bill Theisen said.

Nelsonville City Council already has rejected one resolution presented to the commissioners. The new resolution they discussed yesterday opposes ODOT’s decision to build a new northern route. ODOT’s plan would place the interchange between state Route 33 and state Route 691 across the street from Burger King in Nelsonville on state Route 33.

Attorney Michael Nolan, 700 Pleasant View Ave., spoke as a concerned Nelsonville resident at the commissioners meeting.

“In my opinion, this plan is fatally flawed for a number of reasons,” Nolan said. “We are here to encourage you to go on record stating that you no longer support the bypass.”

In addition, ODOT’s plan shuts off access to Happy Hollow Road so emergency vehicles will have to circulate around Buchtel to reach residents on Happy Hollow.

Another problem is the new interchange will go through Pleasant View Avenue, destroying homes, Nolan said. One solution to this problem is to run the interchange around the Hocking Correctional Facility.

Nelsonville resident Mike Brooks, 200 Pine Grove Dr., also supports the northern route around Nelsonville.

“I really think it’s motivated by money. I commend them (ODOT) on one hand for not spending our tax money foolishly,” Brooks said. “But I have never been to any public meeting in my life where there was 100 percent disenchanted surprise. I can’t name one person in Nelsonville, Ohio, that would be in favor of this alignment. I am proud of our community for standing tall.”

The commissioners will vote on the resolution at the April 30 meeting.

Yesterday the commissioners also approved a contract for a new economic development director, Fred Baughman.

“We find him (Baughman) very experienced. He’s got economic development experience at the local level, the regional level and the state level,” said Alan Geiger, who spoke at the commissioners meeting. Geiger is special assistant to Ohio University president Robert Glidden. “He is willing to do whatever is necessary to be successful here.”

In other county news, the commissioners hosted a meeting Monday with county commissioners from several Southeast Ohio counties and the County Commissioners Association of Ohio to discuss common problems of counties around the state.