A proposed highway linking U.S. 23 and Interstate 71 would cost up to $1.2 billion, according to a study the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) released Wednesday, Sept. 30.

The 18.2-mile connector would run from U.S. 23 north of Waldo to I-71 south of State Route 521 in Delaware County. If construction begins in 2035, the estimated price tag ranges from $857 million to $1.2 billion, depending on how much work I-71 itself needs. For Powell and Liberty Township commuters on U.S. 23, that's 22 fewer minutes on the road.

The project has drawn broad opposition. The vast majority of roughly 3,000 public comments collected during the study process opposed the connector, according to Fox 28 Columbus. Residents raised concerns about harm to homes, farmland and the environment.

Among the most vocal critics is Recreation Unlimited, a nonprofit on a 195-acre campus in Ashley that serves nearly 3,000 people with disabilities each year. The final study placed the recommended route between 0.35 and 0.5 miles from the campus, across a flat field to the east.

"It's taking away a place that they feel safe," Recreation Unlimited CEO Paul Huttlin told NBC4 on Sept. 30.

More than 30 percent of the people Recreation Unlimited serves have autism and are sensitive to noise and other sensory stimuli, according to the organization's website. The nonprofit said the current alignment is even closer to the campus than what ODOT presented in March 2026. Recreation Unlimited has invested more than $12.1 million in recent renovations, including a 3,500-square-foot accessible track ride that opened in 2025.

The route would start north of Waldo, cross U.S. 42 in Marion County with an interchange north of Ashley, skirt Morrow County heading south, cross SR 521 in Delaware County and connect to I-71. ODOT recommended against tolling the road, noting tolls would cut projected daily traffic from about 21,900 vehicles to 8,500 by 2055.

Kingston Township trustees passed a resolution in early September opposing the connector. The resolution cited lasting harm to residents, generational family farms, conserved lands, emergency services and rural community character, according to the Delaware Gazette. One affected property had recently been enrolled in the Ohio Department of Agriculture's Farmland Preservation Program.

The study was mandated by House Bill 54, Ohio's transportation budget, which directed ODOT and the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission to deliver a feasibility report to the General Assembly by Oct. 1. ODOT Director Pamela Boratyn said in a statement that the report evaluates multiple alternatives and reflects feedback the agency received throughout the process. NBC4 reported that ODOT declined an on-camera interview Sept. 30.

No construction timeline exists. Additional funding must be secured before the project can enter ODOT's formal development process, which would include federal environmental review, engineering, right-of-way acquisition and additional public involvement, according to Delaware Source. No Powell City Council or Liberty Township trustee has publicly responded to the study's release.