Following a series of accidents at the intersection of Stillwell Beckett and SR 732 (Oxford Reily Road), the Ohio Dept. of Transportation (ODOT) has approved for the intersection to become a roundabout.
According to Kathleen Fuller, the public information officer for the ODOT, the $5 million roundabout project is not slated to begin until 2028, though the intersection is being turned into a temporary four-way stop. On April 7, two separate traffic accidents occurred at the intersection, one of which resulted in the death of 46-year-old Kathryn Fichter of Cincinnati.
“I’m pleased that [by] working with ODOT, we have a temporary safety upgrade that will turn the intersection into a four-way stop,” the office of Sen. George Lang (R-West Chester) wrote in an email statement to the Observer. “This will help put the brakes on collisions as we look forward to the $5 million project that will transform the intersection into a much safer and efficient roundabout.”
Oxford resident Stephen Hudak has encouraged community members to reach out to local representatives with their concerns about the intersection.
“Over the years there’s been a lot of different accidents at that intersection,” Hudak said.
Oxford Township Police reported seven traffic accidents at the intersection this year, compared to four last year. Hudak hopes that by alleviating the number of accidents at the intersection, Oxford first responders can turn their attention to other concerns.
Currently, the intersection is a two-way stop with yellow flashing lights for Oxford Reily Road traffic and a speed limit of 55 mph. The April 7 accident occurred when a Hyundai Elantra did not yield to the flashing lights, causing a 1500 Ram pick-up to collide with the Elantra. Fichter, who was a passenger in the Elantra, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Fichter graduated with a PhD in chemistry/biochemistry in 2008 from the University of Cincinnati. She was born in Cincinnati and conducted research at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
Construction for a roundabout at the intersection has begun, and the installation of four stop signs is underway, according to Sen. Lang.
Fuller said that while the roundabout project is underway, details have not yet been confirmed.
“We’re still in the very preliminary stages of the project,” Fuller said. “It’s too early to tell what kind of impact this’ll have, but we should have more information by late summer or early fall.”
