COLUMBUS, Ohio — In the Little Turtle Way community, some residents are highly upset with the City of Columbus for moving forward with the Little Turtle Way Construction Project.
On Monday, many residents met alongside the road to protest the project.
Darlene Slater is the president of the Little Turtle Civic Association and a resident of the neighborhood. "Since this has been announced two years ago, people have already moved out,” she said.
People in the Little Turtle Way community have been working to prevent the construction from happening.
The city project will combine the northbound and southbound lanes of Little Turtle Way, into one two-way road between Blue Jacket Road and the westbound ramp at state Route 161.
Slater told 10TV that the long stretch of land was loved by the people in the community. She said it’s been around for 50 years.
"This is tragic this shouldn't be happening. This is a piece of Columbus history,” she said.
Phil Harmon is the attorney for the Civic Association and a resident in the neighborhood.
He said they’ve been fighting against the City of Columbus to prevent construction from happening.
In March, the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas issued a temporary restraining order. Last July, residents and city council members met to talk about the proposed changes.
10TV reached out to City Council and a statement was sent from Randy Borntrager, the assistant director of Columbus Public Service.
"We are proceeding to rebuild an old, deteriorating roadway to benefit all residents and commuters in this high-growth area. safety improvements will create better traffic flow, decrease speeds, and support safe mobility for pedestrians and bicyclists as well as a new sidewalk and a shared-use path.”
Residents said they’re not sure what the next step is, but they will not give up this fight anytime soon.
"The damage is already done,” said Slater. “This is not what the people who lived here signed on for.”