The US 23/I-71 Connector Report Is In. What It Settles, and What It Doesn't, Around Marengo

"This is not a project, this is a study," ODOT Press Secretary Matt Bruning told the Morrow County Sentinel in March, at meetings where well over a thousand people showed up to hear about the proposed bypass. On September 30, 2026, the study ended. ODOT and the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission delivered their final feasibility report to the Ohio Legislature, with a recommended route attached.

Bruning's line still holds. The report put a line on a map. It did not put money behind that line, and its traffic numbers show why the money won't come from the road itself. If you're comparing land or homes in southern Morrow County, the question to track now is whether the Ohio General Assembly decides to fund an $857 million to $1.2 billion highway. Further engineering won't answer it.

What the September 30 report actually fixed

Lawmakers wrote the study into the state's 2026–2027 budget in 2025. Then the process narrowed: 16 possible alignments were compared in February 2026, five were recommended for further study, public meetings in March refined those five, and one came out on top. ODOT calls that route N2-1-1.

In March, the Sentinel described the shortlisted options as following roughly the same path. They head east from Waldo through Marion County, turn southeast through Morrow County between Ashley and Cardington, and dip into Delaware County where they meet I-71. When ODOT released its preferred route in August, the Sentinel reported that it still runs through all three counties.

The cost figure depends on which outlet you read. The Columbus Dispatch added $890 million and $236 million to get roughly $1.1 billion. ABC6 and Delaware Source reported a range of $857 million to $1.2 billion, depending on how much work I-71 needs. All of these figures assume construction starts in 2035, and nothing in the report commits anyone to that date.

The toll math explains why the Legislature decides

The study asked whether a connector could be tolled, and the answer is the most useful number in the report. With no tolls, ODOT projects about 21,900 vehicles a day on the route by 2055. With tolls, the projection drops to about 8,500.

That drop explains the funding problem. A toll does two jobs at once. It raises money, and it pushes drivers back onto free roads like US 23. In this case the second effect is strong enough that, according to the Dispatch, toll revenue could cover maintenance and operations plus about 17.8% of total project cost, but would not be enough to fund construction.

So the road can't finance itself through user fees. Whatever share isn't covered by tolls has to come from appropriations. Delaware Source put the next step plainly: more funding has to be found before the connector can even enter ODOT's formal project development process.

The report does argue that the benefits outweigh the cost. It estimates about $4.33 billion in crash, fuel and travel-time savings from 2035 to 2055, if the state builds the connector and widens I-71. Those savings go to drivers spread across the state. The cost comes due in a single budget, and that budget is where the project now sits.

The widening built into the benefit numbers

ODOT's travel-time savings are about 6 minutes in free-flow traffic and 22 minutes in the morning peak between I-475 and I-270. Those estimates assume an extra lane in each direction on I-71. The widening is part of the scenario the report measured, not an optional extra, and it accounts for most of the gap between the low and high cost estimates.

The news coverage doesn't say where on I-71 that lane addition would begin or end. It also doesn't give an exit number or milepost for where the connector meets the interstate. All it says is "just south of State Route 521." Until someone reads those details directly from the 356-page report, the connection point and the extent of the widening are open questions. That matters for anyone who uses I-71 regularly.

What the route would take from the ground it crosses

ODOT's estimate for N2-1-1 lists eight residential structures, three agricultural structures, two other structures, 91 acres of forest, and about 1,050 acres of right-of-way, 871 of them farmland. The report also expects about 246 acres of farmland and 118 acres of forest to be left landlocked. These are parcels the highway wouldn't take but would cut off from access.

That landlocking figure is the one rural buyers tend to miss. In March, lifelong Morrow County resident Dusty Bellamy told the Sentinel that one proposed route would cut through a 90-acre farm and leave him without access to farmable land. Another would have gone through his front yard.

The impact goes beyond farms. Paul Huttlin, CEO of the Delaware County nonprofit Recreation Unlimited, told NBC4 that the route would pass roughly 0.35 to 0.5 miles from its campus and could disrupt the setting its campers rely on, including people with sensory sensitivities.

Why the opposition targeted legislators, not engineers

The organized opposition saw early where the decision would be made. Concerned Citizens of Morrow County has opposed the bypass since February, working with opponents in Marion and Delaware counties. In March, co-founder Wes Goodman described the group's job as making its case to ODOT and, "more importantly," to legislators. A petition opposing the connector and any use of eminent domain collected more than 1,000 signatures from Morrow, Delaware and Marion counties.

Co-founder Vicki Kerman has questioned the economic case. She points out that ODOT's own 2024 US 23 Corridor Study concluded that changes to the stretch between I-270 and Waldo could significantly improve it. ODOT has said the same about keeping the two issues separate. Bruning said the department remains "committed to fixing 23" whatever happens to the connector.

Public comment ran heavily one way. The Dispatch counted about 3,800 comments: 94% expressed concerns, 2% supported the connector, and 4% were neutral. The most common concerns were homes, farmland, property values and private property. ABC6 reported a lower total of about 3,000 comments. The Dispatch also notes that support splits by region, with northwest Ohioans who want a faster drive to Columbus generally in favor. That's the political tension the Legislature will have to settle.

If lawmakers do fund it, the remaining steps are long. They include review by the Transportation Review Advisory Council, Federal Highway Administration rules, National Environmental Policy Act clearance, preliminary and final engineering, more public involvement, right-of-way acquisition, utility relocation, and then bidding.

A parcel check before you write an offer

For a buyer looking at acreage or a rural home between Ashley, Cardington and I-71, the report creates one thing you can verify today and several things you can only keep watching.

1. Open the published maps. ODOT's project page at publicinput.com/23-71study posts the Recommended Preferred Alternative Map and a separate "Map - US 42 to I-71" from the August 2026 meetings. Those maps came out before the final report, so check them against the final report itself, which is linked on the same page.
2. Look at access, not just the footprint. The landlocked-acreage estimate shows the route can affect parcels it doesn't touch. Note which road a property's frontage and field access depend on.
3. Separate the study from a commitment. No funding means no construction schedule. A map line in a feasibility study is not a right-of-way acquisition, and the report lays out the many approval steps that would have to happen first.
4. Put specific questions in writing. If a property sits near the mapped corridor, ask the seller what they know and raise it with your attorney and lender. A real estate agent can't give a legal answer here.
5. Follow the funding conversation. Concerned Citizens of Morrow County is hosting an ODOT report update from 6 to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, followed by a state legislative candidate forum and audience Q&A until 8 p.m. at the Morrow County Fairgrounds, 195 S Main St., Mount Gilead. The organizer advises checking for venue changes before you go.

Short FAQ

Is the connector approved? No. The report is a feasibility recommendation delivered to the Legislature. Lawmakers would have to decide to move it forward and find more funding first.

When would construction start? There's no timeline. The 2035 date is an assumption used for the cost estimate, not a schedule.

Would it be a toll road? The report compared both options. Tolling would cut projected 2055 traffic from about 21,900 to about 8,500 vehicles a day, and toll revenue would not cover construction.

Where exactly does it meet I-71? Coverage of the final report places the connection just south of State Route 521 in Delaware County. None of the reporting gives an exit number or milepost.

Where can I read the full report? The Delaware Gazette reports it at 356 pages. It's posted on ODOT's project page.

When a property you like sits anywhere near a mapped corridor, the right move is to check before you commit. At Straight 2 Closing, David will go through the published connector maps with you parcel by parcel, list the questions to put in writing before you make an offer, and keep watching the Legislature after you close. If you already own land in the study area and want a clear starting number, Get Your Instant Home Valuation.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.