New Albany is moving forward with a roundabout at the intersection of Morse Road and Beech Road, where Beech turns into Clark State Road, aiming to fix safety, traffic flow and drainage problems at one of the business park's most congested crossroads.
The city's Public Service Department held a public hearing on the project Aug. 5 at Village Hall. According to the city's legal notice, the roundabout will also include roadway resurfacing and a new leisure trail connection.
The intersection sits in the heart of New Albany's data center corridor, near facilities operated by Meta, Amazon and Google, the Columbus Dispatch reported. The New Albany International Business Park spans more than 9,000 acres, houses 43 million square feet of commercial space and employs 27,000 workers, according to the city's 2025 annual report.
Years in the making
The plan dates to 2017. Public Service Director Ryan Ohly told council at an Aug. 19, 2025, meeting that Beech Road was fully improved that year, but the intersection area was deliberately left unfinished in anticipation of a future roundabout.
Coordination has been complicated by the intersection's multi-jurisdictional footprint. Licking County, the City of Pataskala and Jersey Township all share responsibility for the area, Ohly said.
At a Sept. 2, 2025, council meeting, City Manager Joseph Stefanov called an emergency pavement repair at the intersection an "interim solution," telling council that "ultimately, it would be converted to a roundabout." Council approved the temporary fix under Resolution R-29-2025, authorizing up to $150,000 for the work, with an anticipated cost of $125,000. Trucco Construction was selected because the company was already working in the city with equipment mobilized, and the repair was completed in a single weekend closure.
Part of a broader pattern
New Albany has been building roundabouts across the city. The Bevelhymer Road and Walnut Street roundabout, a $5 million project built by Trucco Construction, was completed in late 2025 or early 2026. The SR-605/Walnut Street roundabout, another $5 million project done in partnership with the Franklin County Engineer, was finished in spring 2026.
As we reported Aug. 5, council also approved a resolution to acquire Beech Road land for broader corridor upgrades in the business park area.
What's next
The city describes the roundabout as "currently planning," suggesting it remains in the design phase. No construction cost estimate, start date or completion timeline has been publicly released. Residents with questions can contact the Public Service Department at (614) 855-0076 or [email protected].
