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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
Our offices are closed today in observance of Independence Day. We hope you enjoy the day with friends and loved ones! We will reopen Monday, July 7, 2025, at 7:00 a.m.
Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
The 2025 Township Resurfacing Program is underway across participating townships. While overall work areas are set, activity within each location may vary based on the scope of work and weather conditions. Please drive with caution in work zones and follow posted signage. Thank you for your patience as we work to improve the roads in your community!
Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
Beach Road, west of Amity Road, will be closed beginning Monday, July 7, 2025, for bridge maintenance work. The closure will last approximately ninety (90) days, weather permitting.
Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
The Franklin County Engineer’s Office had a blast at this morning’s WABA - Westland Area Business Association Independence Day Parade! It was great to see so many smiling faces and celebrate with the community ahead of the holiday. Thanks for the warm welcome. We love being part of this tradition!
Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
Leppert Road, between Hayden Run Road and Scioto Darby Road, is now open to traffic.
Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
The road closure for bridge rehabilitation work on Harrisburg-Georgesville Road over Big Darby Creek, between London-Groveport Road and Opossum Run Road, initially scheduled to begin Monday, June 30, 2025, has been delayed to Monday, July 7, 2025. The closure will last approximately one-hundred eighty (180) days, weather permitting.
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 Ten

Surveyor’s Journal Entry Ten

U.S. Congress Lands Surveyed Under Land Ordinance of 1796

In 1798, Congress set aside all of the land south of the U.S. Military District, bordered by the Scioto River to the west, the Ohio River to south, and the Seven Ranges to the east, for sale by the Federal Government.

The U.S. Congress Lands, covering the southeast region of Franklin County, were surveyed by Deputy Surveyors John Mathews and Ebenezer Buckingham in 1799.

This was the first survey in Franklin County to be conducted under the Land Ordinance of 1796, which called for all townships to be uniformly measured six miles square and then divided into 36 one-mile square sections, each containing 640 acres.

Although the land ordinance of 1785 initiated the use of the rectangular system for the survey of government lands in the Northwest Territory, it did not provide specific, legal guidelines for deputy surveyors to follow.

The 1796 legislation required that all surveys be astronomical and use true meridian and parallel lines; that field books, containing a complete description of the land and location of monuments and witness trees, be the primary evidence on which plats are based; that plats be recorded in books to be kept by local and federal government entities as a matter of public record; and that deputy surveyors’ pay be increased from two dollars per mile run to three dollars.

Within the U.S. Congress Lands of Franklin County, the following political subdivisions were eventually established:

Hamilton Township (1807)
Madison Township (1809)
Village of Lockbourne within Hamilton Township (1831)
Town of Groveport within Madison Township (1847)
Town of Canal Winchester within Madison Township (annexed 1851), which was originally part of Violet Township in Fairfield County (1828)

In 1801, Congress Lands along the northern boundary with the U.S. Military District were reallocated for settlement by Revolutionary War refugees from Canada.