U.S. 6 roundabouts: Property owners say state won't listen

Homes and business-owned land subject to forfeiture for Rye Beach Road to Causeway Drive project

SANDUSKY — The Ohio Department of Transportation is bullying property owners over boundaries and land values before construction starts next year on rebuilding US. 6 from Huron to Causeway Drive.

Larry Oldaker, a resident who will lose two thirds of his front yard ‘and two-thirds the value of my home, stands where the new boundary will go if the Ohio Department of Transportation gets a favorable court ruling. (Photo/Gary Livingston)

With eminent domain court cases — where a judge determines property values — pending in Erie County Common Pleas Court, homeowners and businesses along U.S. 6 claim ODOT refuses to communicate or make legitimate offers for their properties.

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Read part 1:

New U.S. 6: Too close for comfort

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ODOT starts construction next year on six new roundabouts and a bicycle and pedestrian walkway along the U.S. 6 corridor (Cleveland Road) from the Rye Beach Road exit at state Route 2 in Huron to Causeway Drive in Sandusky, the entrance to Cedar Point.

“ODOT has never demonstrated a true willingness to openly listen to and discuss concerns raised by homeowners and business owner,” one resident wrote in a “discussion points” memo to property owners. “The public meeting that was held in 2024 was a farce with no opportunity for an open forum to present and discuss concerns in a public setting.”

Larry Oldaker, who’s lived in the 2100 block there since 2016, said he attended that meeting in the spring of last year.