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Numerous road improvements slated to begin this spring

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — A number of construction projects are set to begin this spring and summer as the Ohio Department of Transportation kicks off construction season, investing millions into improvements in local infrastructure.

ODOT is investing $135 million on 85 projects in District 11, which includes Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Harrison, Holmes, Jeferson and Tuscarawas counties.

Of those, 16 projects, totalling $28.5 million, are slated for Belmont County. Lauren Borrell, public information officer for ODOT District 11, said those included eight slide repairs, four pavement projects and four bridge and culvert projects.

Borrell said a few of those county projects are carryover projects from the previous year such as the $3.1 million resurfacing project along Ohio 7 and a $4.3 million resurfacing along Interstate 70 from west of Morristown to the Guernsey County line.

One of the priciest projects this year in the county is a nearly $9 million resurfacing and rehabilitation project on Ohio 149 from Glencoe to Belmont. It is set to commence this summer.

“It will require several closures on the roadway; however, more information will come once we have those dates available,” she said, adding that many of the dates provided are estimates at this time and subject to change.

As of now, the project is anticipated to start June 1 with a completion date of July 31, 2024.

Another notable project is a slide repair project on Ohio 147 in Jacobsburg. Borrell said the project will temporarily close the road for 60 days beginning Monday from west of Pipe Creek Road.

In Harrison County, a total of 11 projects are set to begin this construction season totaling $11.5 million and include three slide repairs, four bridge and culvert projects, and four safety projects.

“The biggest project is the State Route 151 bridge replacement which is set to begin with a road closure on March 28. That is a 185-day closure,” she said, adding that it was originally slated to be a 150-day closure but it was later extended.

“That’s a $5.9 million project to replace the bridge over the railroad that runs through there in Bowerston.”

Also, a $683,729 intersection improvement project on Ohio 646 at the intersection with East College Street in the village of Scio is slated to begin in the spring.

A $827,490 bridge replacement project on U.S. 250 at the west end of Tappan Lake is set for this summer. Borrell said there will not be any closure of the road this year; however, traffic will be maintained during the construction.

A total of 11 projects, costing $332 million, will occur in Jefferson County. Those projects include three slide repairs, three pavement projects, three bridge and culvert projects, and one safety project.

“That total includes the $23 million slide repair project there in Mingo Junction,” she said, adding that there was a large slide along the hillside in March 2020.

“Since then we’ve had the road restricted to one lane of traffic in each direction. Because of the damage to the hillside from that slide, we decided that the best way to move forward with a fix was to do a complete project to remediate the hillside. They (crews) are out there now doing tree removal and then from there they will remediate the hill and that will include blasting work similar to what we’ve done near Brilliant from past slides, but they’ll scale the hillside back from the road.”

The project will be completed in June 2025.

During the construction season, Borrell reminds motorists to always stay focused on the road, especially in work zones.

“They require extra focus. There’s a lot going on. Work zones differ from zone to zone. Last year there were 4,628 work zone crashes in Ohio, and 21 of those were deadly. We remember the men and women who are out there working on the roads, whether it’s maintenance or construction, they would like to make it home to their family, their pets, their friends. There’s always someone waiting for them at the end of the day so we just remind folks to please pay attention, move over and slow down,” she said.

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