Crews complete roundabout project on schedule

DANBURY TWP. — On Tuesday, and with days to spare ahead of the busy Memorial Day weekend traffic rush, state crews completed a monthslong transformational road project in the greater Port Clinton area. A new-look intersection, which now features a roundabout, reopened at Ohio 269 and South Danbury Road in Danbury Township near The Watering Hole Safari and Waterpark. Work began in May 2025, and, in September, crews began closing off parts of the intersection and nearby areas, including Ohio 269, to traffic. All told, the area underwent changes in phases throughout a 250-plus-day stretch. Yet workers kept their word, reopening the area, off Ohio 2 in eastern Ottawa County with a fresh appearance ahead of the unofficial start of summer and boating season. The prior layout, dubbed a spider-web intersection, often confused commuters and created chaos among them, resulting in fender-benders and accidents. Now, officials said, it's much safer and easier to navigate when traveling to Port Clinton, the Marblehead-Lakeside area, Danbury Township, Kelleys Island, Put-in-Bay and elsewhere. The project's cost totaled $3.1 million, an expense fully covered by Ohio's transportation department. The project goals aim to "accommodate oversized vehicles, including trucks pulling boats and campers," according to a state transportation department statement, which also paid for resurfacing Ohio 269 to the Bayshore Road overpass.