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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
Morse Road, between Johnstown Road and Reynoldsburg-New Albany Road, is closed due to a vehicle crash. This road will reopen as soon as the crash has been cleared.
Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
The intersection of Clark State Road and Havens Road is closed due to downed power lines in the intersection. The road closure will remain closed until AEP completes the necessary repairs.
Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
Our offices are closed today in observance of Memorial Day. We take this day to remember those who lost their lives serving our country. We will reopen tomorrow, May 30, 2023, at 7:00 a.m.
Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
Ebright Road, between Bixby Road and Winchester Pike, is now open to traffic. Thank you to the FCEO Bridge Department for completing the project one week ahead of schedule!
Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
2022 In Review-Fisher Rd between I-70 & McKinley Ave: In central #franklincounty; in Franklin Township Government, Franklin County; very near the Franklin County Sheriff's Office new, state-of-the-art James A. Karnes Corrections Center. This infrastructure investment improvement was designed by ms consultants, inc.; was built by Decker Construction Company; & was a collaboration among: The Franklin County Engineer's Office, Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin, City of Columbus - City Hall, & the Franklin County Board of Commissioners following what we call, #TheFranklinCountyWay. The project was administered by #teamfceo with Field Engineering & Construction Inspection by Terracon. Funded by our good taxpayers including Ohio Public Works Commission Funds, Franklin County Commissioners' General Fund, and Road & Bridge Funds thru your friendly Franklin County Engineer. Thank you all!
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 Two

Surveyor’s Journal Entry Two

The Land Ordinance of 1785 and “The Point of Beginning”

Following Great Britain’s relinquishment of the Northwest Territory (area north of the Ohio River and west of the Appalachian Mountains) at the end of the American Revolution, the Congress of the Confederation sought to open the new territory for settlement by passing the Land Ordinance of 1785.

The legislation established the first national survey standards that enabled the legal measurement, division, and sale of more than 260,000 square miles of public land across modern-day Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and eastern Minnesota.

Since Congress, at the time, did not yet have the authority to directly tax the citizenry, the sale of public land was a viable way to generate funding for the government.

Under the leadership of Surveyor Thomas Hutchins, the first congressionally appointed “Geographer of the United States,” the new territory was to be surveyed using the “rectangular system” developed by Hutchins while on a British military expedition to the modern-day Coshocton County area, commanded by Colonel Henry Bouquet, in 1764. It called for land to be surveyed into squares, 24 miles in diameter, bounded by east and west base lines and north and south meridian lines. These squares were then to be divided into four squares, six miles in diameter, and designated as “Townships.” A township could then be subdivided into 36 sections of one square mile (640 acres) that could be subdivided for sale to land companies and settlers.

On September 30, 1785, Hutchins set “The Point of Beginning” for the survey of western America on the north shore of the Ohio River near modern-day East Liverpool, Ohio. He then ran a line 42 miles west over the hills of modern-day Columbiana and Carroll Counties, that became known as the “Geographer’s Line.” At each mile, a post was set and witness-trees were marked. Every sixth mile was considered a town corner from which a line was run south down to the Ohio River. These lines were marked every six miles for the east-west base lines, which resulted in seven rows or “ranges” of Ohio’s first townships.