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Franklin County Engineer

As a local public works agency headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, the Franklin County Engineer's Office is responsible for the maintenance and construction of 271 miles of county roadway and 351 county bridges, as well as upkeep of all county ditches, drains, retention basins, and other storm water facilities within the right-of-way of county roads in unincorporated areas. To meet the continuing development and infrastructure needs of Franklin County, the Engineer's Office utilizes the latest technologies for determining and maintaining roadway centerlines and boundaries; retracing and setting new monuments for original public land surveys; preparing geographic information system mapping for real estate tax assessments; and establishing precise countywide horizontal and vertical control to maintain uniformity in construction, surveying, and mapping.
Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
#TeamFCEO had an absolute blast yesterday at Prairie Township’s Trick-or-Treat Trail event! Beautiful weather, an outstanding turnout, and plenty of Halloween spirit made for a fantastic day! We enjoyed seeing all the creative costumes, sharing smiles, and connecting with so many wonderful families. Events like this are a great reminder of how much we enjoy being part of the community we serve! A big thank you to Prairie Township, Franklin County, OH, for hosting such a fun-filled event, and to everyone who stopped by to say hello!
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Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
The Genessee Avenue Drainage Project is complete! This improvement strengthens local drainage infrastructure and connects to the existing Earl Avenue storm system. Thank you to everyone who helped bring this project to completion.
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Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
Teen Driver Safety Week is a reminder that safe driving habits start with all of us. Keep talking about safe choices, model responsible driving, and help young drivers build skills that last a lifetime.

Learn more at trafficsafetymarketing.gov.
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Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
Notice to Contractors: We are accepting bids on the Johnstown Road at 17th Avenue and I-670EB Off-ramp Improvements Project. Visit: https://www.bidexpress.com/solicitations for more information.
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Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
We're looking forward to attending the 2026 Ohio Transportation Engineering Conference (OTEC) tomorrow and Wednesday! This year's theme, “OTEC @ 80: Honoring Legacy, While Engineering the Future,” sets the stage for two days of collaboration, innovation, and meaningful conversations about Ohio's transportation future. We're especially proud of our own Mike Andrako, P.E., W. Fritz Crosier, P.E., and Ed Herrick, P.E., who will be sharing their expertise as conference presenters! Attending OTEC? Be sure to check out their sessions! #OTEC2026
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Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
Today is the day! Join us 4-8 p.m. at Fortress Obetz for Touch-And-Ride-A-Truck! Explore big trucks and equipment, meet the crews, and bring diapers or wipes to support the Columbus Diaper Coalition. Bring the family and join the fun, rain or shine!
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Franklin County Engineer's Office
970 DUBLIN ROAD
COLUMBUS, OHIO 43215
(614) 525-3030
fracoeng@franklincountyengineer.org
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Surveyor’s Journal Entry Twenty

Surveyor’s Journal Entry Twenty

Meeting the Transportation Needs of a Changing Landscape

By 1850, Columbus had become a major commercial and government center noted for its financial and legal institutions, the state penitentiary, restaurants, hotels, shops, buggy and carriage works, breweries, foundries, textiles, rock quarries, agriculture, and livestock.

The Franklin County Property and Highway Map, first published in 1842, showed a vast sea of farms, villages, and township communities encircling Columbus, all joined together by an evolving street and roadway system.

It was during this growth that the Franklin County Surveyor’s Office, which had established many of the original roads, adopted the responsibility of highway engineering. It would be the duty of the “county engineer” to represent the board of county commissioners and the State of Ohio in the planning of the area’s first local highways, which included:

Columbus & Portsmouth Turnpike (U.S. Rt. 23, South High Street, Portsmouth-Columbus Road) opened in 1847
Columbus & Harrisburg Turnpike (U.S. Rt. 62, S.R. 3, Harrisburg Pike) opened in 1849
Columbus & Worthington Plank Road (North High Street, U.S. Rt. 23) replacing the Franklin County section of the Columbus &
Sandusky Turnpike opened in 1850
Columbus & Groveport Turnpike ( Groveport Road) opened in 1850
Johnstown Plank Road (Johnstown Road, U.S. Rt. 62) opened in 1852
Columbus & Granville Turnpike (East Broad Street, S.R. 16) opened in 1852
Franklin & Jackson Turnpike (Harmon Avenue, Jackson Pike, S.R. 104) opened in 1852
Columbus & Sunbury Plank Road (Sunbury Road) opened in 1852
Clinton & Blendon Plank Road (Westerville Road , S.R. 3) opened in 1854

These early thoroughfares were operated by incorporated highway companies that financed construction and maintenance costs through stock sales, toll collections, and government appropriations. Transportation financing began as early as 1802 when Ohio started to receive three percent of the net proceeds from the sale of federal land in the state to build roads.

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