Photo Provided Beaver Excavating Co. construction workers begin the long-awaited repair and renovation of the Blaine Hill Bridge on U.S. 40.

BLAINE — The Ohio Department of Transportation’s Blaine Bridge Project is officially underway.

Beaver Excavating Co., ODOT’s contractor for the work, anticipates that mobilization and work on the bridge will begin in mid-June. With repair and renovation of the Blaine Hill Bridge being expedited by nearly two years, the contractor recently began working to finalize the extensive demolition plans to safely and effectively dismantle portions of the structure.

The project includes enhancements to the structural integrity of the span by replacing the superstructure and maintaining the bridge’s historical character, all to facilitate the bridge’s reopening. The design plans for this vital project are in development.

“The demolition plan is critical to the safety of the demolition process due to the unique bridge design and existing structural condition,” ODOT states in a news release.

ODOT District 11 Public Information Officer Lauren Borell said that Beaver Excavating Co. will be removing portions of the bridge deck and removing the beams from the bridge, adding that anything on top of the structure will be removed.

She added that the project will also patch the bridge’s existing concrete piers.

The contractor has been reviewing and evaluating the demolition plans for the bridge as well as doing pre-construction work, including surveying and conducting measurements on the bridge itself.

“There will be some traffic impacts for those on Pasco Drive and Blaine-Barton Road to help facilitate construction. It will remain open, but we will have temporary traffic signals set up to maintain traffic through there,” Borell said. “I don’t have an exact date as to when that will begin, but just a heads-up for folks that are down that way, that’ll probably start when the demolition begins.”

The press release adds that Beaver Excavating Co. was awarded this project for $17,016,026 and anticipates that the bridge will reopen to traffic in the summer of 2026. Overall completion is expected by Oct. 31, 2026.

“We are very anxious to see physical progress on this project, as we know the public is, too. ODOT appreciates the contractor’s careful approach to completing the necessary reviews. It is essential that this project is carried out safely and efficiently, ultimately leading to a final product that will preserve this critical structure for many years to come,” ODOT District 11 Deputy Director Tom Corey said.

Last July, ODOT restricted traffic on the Blaine Hill Bridge after the span showed structural issues that caused concern. Originally, ODOT only closed the westbound lanes of the span on U.S. 40 “out of an abundance of caution” while working to address structural deficiencies.

Shortly after the bridge was reduced to eastbound traffic only, the Ohio State Highway Patrol and ODOT received multiple reports of drivers either not understanding or not obeying the posted signs and traveling west in the open eastbound lanes. According to ODOT, “that behavior led to several close calls that could have caused life-threatening traffic collisions.”

Following those close calls, ODOT made the decision to fully close the bridge in August, which led to local outrage about the inconvenience this caused motorists.

ODOT originally anticipated construction to repair and replace the bridge to begin by 2027, but due to the public outcry the department worked to expedite the process to allow the project to be moved up for completion in 2026.