BELMONT — Now that warmer weather is here so is the 2024 construction season, and the Ohio Department of Transportation is set to start multiple major construction projects in Belmont County.

One of the biggest efforts is the major reconstruction of Ohio 149. The project started in June 2023 and paused for the winter months. Restarting in April, the projected end date is July 31.

“Major rehabilitation from Warnock to Belmont. Two sections are completed with the remaining section to start spring 2024,” ODOT”s website states.

The total cost of the Ohio 149 construction will be nearly $10 million. The road is now closed at the east end of the village of Belmont with the surface of that section already removed.

Another major upcoming project is the repair of an Ohio 7 culvert. A culvert is a structure that channels water past an obstacle or to a subterranean waterway, carrying it away from the road’s surface.

Started at the end of August, this project is expected to be completed by June 30. The cost of the culvert repair on Ohio 7 will be $1.4 million. Traffic will be maintained in that area between Shadyside and Bellaire with lane restrictions.

According to Ohio Department of Transportation District 11 spokeswoman Lauren Borell, the district has six upcoming paving projects, four bridge and culvert repairs, two bike and walking trail repairs and five slide repairs. She said ODOT currently has 17 construction projects planned in Belmont County. The total cost of the 17 projects will be $33 million.

“At this time there are no delays,” Borell said regarding whether recent storms and flooding that occurred in Belmont County impacted the construction schedule.

On U.S. 40, ODOT will replace a bridge over Frazier Run in the Brookside area with a box culvert structure. The work started April 1 with a completion date of Oct. 31. The project cost is $818,020.30. Traffic will be permitted through that area with some lane restrictions.

Ohio 145 in the southern part of the county near Wilson will be resurfaced. This is a preventive maintenance project using the chip seal method. The work is set to begin May 1 and to be completed by Oct. 15 at a cost of $558,864. Lane restrictions will be in place.

Work to replace a bridge carrying County Road 10 over Wheeling Creek at Blaine Hill will be done between June 1 and Sept. 30. This $1,633,090 project will lead to a road closure.

Resurfacing work will be done on Ohio 26 from Ohio 148 to the Monroe County line and on Ohio 331 from Flushing to Holloway. Lanes will be restricted for the work from May 1 to Sept. 30. The project will cost $2,558,813.

Ohio 7 also will be resurfaced from the north end of Martins Ferry to the Jefferson County line. The project got underway April 1 and has a completion date of Oct. 31 and a cost of $3,550,667. Lanes and ramps will be restricted.

A slide repair will be performed on the eastbound lane of Ohio 147 southwest of Barnesville, creating a drilled shaft wall with associated culvert and pavement repairs. The work, at a cost of $2,074,872, will begin May 1 and should be completed by Oct. 31. Traffic will be maintained with temporary signals.

Ohio 647 also will be resurfaced from Martins Ferry to the Jefferson County line beginning May 1. With a completion date of Sept. 30, the project cost is $1,523,590 and there will be lane restrictions.

Resurfacing began April 1 on Ohio 7 from Pinch Run to Central Avenue in Shadyside. The $1,444,314 project should be complete by Sept. 30, and lanes are being restricted.

Additional slide repairs will happen on Ohio 379 in the southwest corner of the county, on Ohio 149 along McMahon Creek, on U.S. 250 just west of Laipple Street in Bridgeport and on Ohio 379 near Somerton.

On Ohio 147, the bridge over Dog Hollow outside Barnesville will be replaced. Work will be done from June 1-Sept. 30.

Meanwhile, ODOT will create a paved surface in Barnesville as part of a bike/pedestrian path on an abandoned railroad bed. It will also create trailhead parking at the B&O Depot in the village and complete rehabilitation of the railroad tunnel that runs beneath Main Street. This project will begin July 1 and cost $2,372,582. Its completion date is May 31, 2025.

ODOT will also perform rehabilitation of the National Road Bikeway Tunnel under U.S. 40 in St. Clairsville. The project includes a tunnel extension, development of a trailhead and trail resurfacing along with repair of the bikeway trestle structure crossing Ohio 9. Slated to begin July 1 and end May 31, 2025, the project will cost $3,169,773.32.

Managing Editor Jennifer Compston-Strough contributed to this report.