Compared to where we were, Central Ohio appears to be experiencing a housing boom.

In Dublin, the number of residential building permits issued the during first quarter more than doubled, up 163 percent over last year. That sounds good, but not really. Dublin went from 11 permits last winter to 29 this year.

Columbus and Canal Winchester each saw modest gains.

Columbus-based real estate researcher Rob Vogt said don’t put too much stock in the numbers.

“I don’t think you can take away too many conclusions from just a couple of months of data. I think it’s important to take a look at the long term,” Vogt said.

Vogt said single family home builds have been flat since 2008 when the housing bubble burst.

He said new builds are tied to consumer confidence.

“Never in the history of housing have we had such affording housing rates that we have today, and if we’re not able to get these first-time home buyers to buy a house today with such really unprecedented interest rates, it’s going to be tough to get them to come out,” Vogt said.

Jim Hilz of the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio is slightly more confident about the new figures. Hilz said the industry is seeing an increase in permits and sales. And he said builders are gaining more confidence.

“As builders are planning for the future they’re concerns are different in terms of where they’re going to build. And that’s something that we haven’t heard in a while. And there is talk about land development again and about developing residential neighborhoods which is a good sign,” Hilz said.

To keep things in perspective, Columbus issued about 2,400 residential permits last year. In 2003, the city issued more than 12,000.

Reflective barrels and cones, road work signs and lights were reportedly all in place at the time the accident occurred. But, they weren’t enough to stop the driver of an SUV travelling westbound on I-70 between James Road and Livingston. The vehicle plowed into construction worker 25 year old Eric Kirkbride of Zanesville. He worked for Shelley and Sands, Incorporated, an ODOT contractor. ODOT’s Deputy Director, Scott Varner says his agency takes many safety precautions.

“The amount of warning that is given ahead of time, the number of the spacing between the cones, how the cones go, the use of lighted equipment, how bright lights are,” says Varner.

Varner says construction at night allows for more traffic during peak hours. He adds that only one lane was open on I-70 Westbound at the time of the accident and that the speed was still 65 miles an hour.

“We will work with the contractor and authorities to best understand the situation. What happened that this driver did not see the orange barrels, did not see the orange lighted arrow, did not see the warnings about a work zone ahead that caused this accident,” adds Varner.

Columbus Police Sgt. Rich Wiener says the vehicle involved sustained heavy front end damage. He wonders if more can be done to prevent such accidents.

“Most often there are just barrels and not heavy barriers protecting the workers or keeping the workers from the vehicular traffic. So everyone is reminded to slow down, be mindful of the workers and pay attention,” reminds Wiener.

Construction was halted last night on that section of I-70 because of the accident.

Information on Construction Work on Route 315

Route 315 Construction Information Line: 740.833.8268

The 57 million dollar I-670 project began in April 2002—Ohio Department of Transportation offiicials promised the project would be complete in 18 months… ODOT director Gordon Proctor says they accelerated the construction. Proctor estimates 30 percent of the traffic on interstates 70 and 71 will immediately divert to 670.

21 bridges, 10 ramps and 2 miles of highway were either re built or reconstructed. And a new cap on High Street was designed to connect the Short North and downtown. The Spring-Sandusky Interchange—which connects I-670, state route 315 and u.s. route 33—is also complete. That project was supposed to start in the 70′s but lack of money and environmental issues stalled the construction—the total project carried a 225 million dollar price tag.

Governor Bob Taft says the rebuilding the bottle neck at I 70 and I71 is the next big transportation project the city faces.