BORDERLAND
ODOT to build walls, not move State Rt. 65
10/16/2013The Ohio Department of Transportation is to build retaining walls along two sections of State Rt. 65 along the Maumee River instead of relocating the highway from two spots where it says the riverbank is slipping.
ODOT had presented several options for relocating Route 65 just north of Reitz Road in Middleton Township and near Nazareth Hall in Grand Rapids Township during a public meeting last month. Landowners near the Reitz Road site, where the highway also is part of State Rt. 64, contested state officials’ finding that the riverbank was unstable.
Building retaining walls will cost more than relocating the road but require no home condemnations. ODOT said Tuesday that its next step will be detailed plan development, with construction set for 2015.