Most buyers don't track state route studies. That's fine. But if you're shopping anywhere along the Africa Road corridor, southern Delaware County, or the north Westerville edge toward Sunbury, this one is worth 10 minutes of your time.
ODOT is in the middle of a corridor study on State Route 37, running from the City of Delaware south to SR-161. The goal isn't a 30-year wish list. It's a realistic, 10-year package of specific improvements that ODOT can actually fund and build. When a study like this finalizes, the projects that come out of it move through design and funding queues in a defined order. That matters to anyone buying near this corridor right now.
What the SR-37 Corridor Study Is
ODOT and its project team have been studying the full SR-37 spine from Delaware to the SR-161 interchange. The scope covers safety, congestion, and capacity, with one eye on planned development and one eye on the Intel-driven growth in southern Delaware County that has been reshaping demand for homes, office space, and commercial uses across the northern Columbus ring.
The study has worked through a methodical process: analyze every major intersection and interchange along the corridor, score them by congestion, crash history, and future development load, narrow down to a priority set, and build a recommended project package. As of early 2026, that process is in the finalization stage.
The output is not aspirational. These are improvements ODOT is targeting to move toward design and funding within roughly a decade.
The I-71/US-36/SR-37 Interchange: The Biggest Piece
The interchange where I-71, US-36, and SR-37 meet is the most significant item in the study. Right now that interchange handles a large and growing volume of traffic awkwardly. The preferred plan in the study realigns US-36 and SR-37 into a new combined interchange configuration.
The analogy being used in the planning work is the Polaris/Gemini interchange model, which most north Columbus drivers know well. That design channels multiple converging routes through a cleaner set of movements with better capacity and lower conflict points than a traditional cloverleaf or partial interchange.
A redesigned I-71/36/37 interchange does a few things. It removes a significant friction point for anyone traveling between Westerville, the Africa Road corridor, and destinations in Delaware or Sunbury. It also creates better conditions for the employment and commercial development that tends to follow legible highway access.
Sunbury Parkway: A New Connector That Changes the Map
The second major component in the study is the extension of Sunbury Parkway from Africa Road east to the City of Sunbury.
If you drive Africa Road today, you know that getting to Sunbury or the eastern edge of Delaware County from the Westerville side means threading through surface roads or backtracking to I-71. Sunbury Parkway, built out as the study recommends, would create a more direct east-west connector across the top of this growth corridor, similar to the role that Polaris Parkway plays in the northern Columbus ring south of I-71.
That kind of connector changes drive times in ways that open up neighborhoods. When access improves, the effective commute shed from any given home expands, and areas that previously felt inconvenient for certain job locations become more competitive.
Why This Matters to Westerville-Area Buyers
SR-37 is not Westerville's front yard. But it connects directly to the same regional network that Westerville buyers rely on: Africa Road, the I-71/270 interchange complex, and the employer base in Delaware County that includes a growing set of tech, logistics, and manufacturing facilities anchored by the Intel investment area.
Buyers who work in Delaware County, Sunbury, or the emerging employment nodes north of Columbus are already asking about commute options when they evaluate Westerville homes. The SR-37 improvements, when built, make the northern arc of this commute more reliable and faster.
They also shape where development will cluster over the next decade. Sunbury Parkway as a built road creates a corridor that developers, employers, and retailers follow. That follows a pattern Columbus buyers have watched play out on Polaris Parkway, on Muirfield Drive in Dublin, and on the east-west connectors in New Albany.
What This Doesn't Mean
State route studies have timelines, funding queues, and political realities. The fact that a project makes it into a corridor study recommendation means it's real planning, not a concept. It does not mean construction starts next year.
Realistically, the higher-priority items from this study, the interchange redesign and the early segments of Sunbury Parkway, would enter design phases over the next few years and construction phases somewhere in the three-to-seven year window, depending on federal funding cycles and ODOT programming decisions.
For buyers, the relevant frame is: you are making a 7-to-15 year hold decision. The SR-37 improvements are a real, funded-planning-stage input into how this corridor will function during your hold period, not a certainty you can price in today, but not speculation either.
What to Watch as a Buyer
A few things worth tracking if this corridor is relevant to your search:
The I-71/36/37 interchange design timeline. Once ODOT moves from corridor study to preliminary engineering, that's the signal the project is actively in the pipeline. That typically adds to property demand near the improved access points.
Sunbury Parkway land acquisition. Road projects of this type typically require ODOT to acquire right-of-way. When acquisition activity shows up in property records in the corridor, the project is moving.
Development along the Africa Road and SR-37 spine. Commercial and industrial site plan filings in Delaware County often lead road improvements by a cycle or two. If you're watching this corridor and seeing permit activity, the infrastructure case is strengthening.
How I Use This for Clients
When I'm working with a buyer who has a job in the Delaware County growth zone or who commutes toward Sunbury, I pull up the current drive time from any home we're considering. Then I walk them through what that commute looks like if the I-71/36/37 interchange is redesigned and Sunbury Parkway is built out.
For some addresses, the change is marginal. For others, especially homes on the eastern side of the Westerville market, the Africa/Sunbury corridor, or southern Delaware County, a functioning Sunbury Parkway shortens a commute meaningfully. That affects resale demand from the buyer pool in 7 to 10 years.
It's not a guarantee. It's context that a buyer deserves to have.
If you're looking at homes in Westerville, southern Delaware County, or along the Africa/SR-37 corridor and want to understand how the SR-37 corridor study might affect your specific commute and long-term resale position, reach out. I'll walk through the address-level picture with you.
Contact me at calendly.com/adam-geuy or call/text 937-239-2919.
Adam Geuy, Realtor - NextHome Experience | ABR, PSA, SRS | License #202000794