Road Warrior: Area construction projects
8/3/2001he Blade's Road Warrior tells readers where the biggest driving headaches will be throughout the construction season. He'll tell you which spots to avoid and what detours to take.
The northbound I-75 exit at Wales Road will reopen today, so will Wales on the east side of the Oregon Road intersection. And the southbound I-75 ramps will open in one week.
But until traffic signal installation is complete at the tops of the interchange ramps - which is expected by Aug. 25 - the new Wales bridge over I-75 will remain closed.
Patricia Bacon, Northwood's city administrator, said that with multiple turn lanes on the ramps, and the new signals to be coordinated with those at the Wales-Oregon intersection, temporary stop signs would not be adequate to maintain traffic safety at the interchange. The southbound ramps had a stoplight before the project began, while the northbound ramps did not.
Work that was to have closed the northbound Stickney-Lagrange interchange on I-75 this week has been postponed until next week. The closing days are now Tuesday through Thursday. Plan ahead, since other ramps in the area are closed, too.
The Road Warrior welcomes tips about any conditions that differ from those reported here or suggestions on how Toledo traffic flow could be improved. Contact him at roadwarrior@theblade.com.
1. I-75: Bridge reconstruction and resurfacing limit traffic to one lane each way between the I-280 and Willys Parkway interchanges. The northbound Willys Parkway entrance and Phillips Avenue exit are closed until early October, and for three days starting Tuesday, the northbound ramps at the Stickney-Lagrange interchange will be closed during pavement repairs and resurfacing. Expect long traffic delays, especially during rush hours.
2. I-280: Bridge reconstruction limits traffic to one lane each way between State Rt. 795 and the Hanley/Latcha interchange. Construction continues into October.
3. I-75/Wales Road: Overpass and interchange reconstruction closes Wales at I-75 through Sept. 1. The northbound exit ramp will reopen today, as will Wales east of Oregon Road. The southbound interchange ramps will reopen late next week.
4. Ohio Turnpike/State Rt. 795: Turnpike overpass reconstruction limits Route 795 to one lane each way and requires occasional lane closings on the turnpike.
5. I-75: Bridge reconstruction causes occasional lane closings between the Quarry Road and State Rt. 18 interchanges near North Baltimore. Traffic delays are likely.
6. U.S. 20, State Rt. 600: Bridge reconstruction restricts U.S. 20 traffic to one lane each way through Hessville, Ohio. Route 600 is closed at U.S. 20 and traffic is detoured via State Rt. 300. The detour is expected to continue into mid-August, with all work ending by Aug. 31.
7. State Rt. 2 (Airport Highway): Sewer construction between Timberwolf Drive and Albon Road in Springfield Township closes the eastbound right lane between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily.
8. I-475/U.S. 23: A resurfacing project between I-75 in Perrysburg and Monclova Road in Maumee requires nighttime lane restrictions. Expect minor delays during the work hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
9. U.S. 6/20/State Rt. 53: Reconstruction of four bridges at the west end interchange on the Fremont Bypass requires lane restrictions and wide-load detours. Starting Tuesday, the eastbound work zone will extend to the State Rt. 19 overpass and the Route 19 exit ramp will be closed. Use the State Rt. 53 exit instead.
10. I-75: Shoulder work between State Rt. 582 and U.S. 20/23 may require nighttime lane closings. Long delays are possible.
11. I-280: Widening work closes the shoulders between Front Street and Navarre Avenue (State Rt. 2) and requires nighttime lane closings (9 p.m. to 6 a.m.).
12. I-280: Widening work closes the shoulders between Manhattan Boulevard and Greenbelt Parkway, requires a 45 mph speed limit, and occasionally requires nighttime lane closings (9 p.m. to 6 a.m.). The Manhattan entrance to southbound I-280 is closed until late next year.
13. I-75: Pavement repairs require one-lane traffic in each direction between Hancock County Road 99 and U.S. 68/State Rt. 15. All lanes are open during the day on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Expect delays at other times. Consider using U.S. 23 through Fostoria as an alternate route.
14. M-156/M-34: Pavement repairs require daytime lane closings on both roads in western Lenawee County.
15. State Rt. 25: Resurfacing between Portage and Cygnet reduces traffic to one lane each way, causing occasional traffic delays.
16. U.S. 24: Resurfacing between Monclova Road and Canal reduce traffic to one lane each way on the four-lane section of U.S. 24, and turn-lane construction may require flag zones at Canal Street and at Waterville-Monclova Road.
17. State Rt. 15: Pavement repairs and resurfacing will require flag zones between State Rt. 108 and the Putnam-Defiance line until late August.
18. U.S. 223/M-52: Resurfacing requires flag zones at the U.S. 223/M-52 intersection near Adrian through late August.
19. U.S. 224: Resurfacing requires daily flag zones between Ottawa and Kalida, Ohio, through next week.
20. Seaman, Lallendorf roads: Sewer construction associated with the upcoming Seaman Road overpass project closes the Seaman-Lallendorf intersection through today. Detours are posted.
21. M-50: Signal and repaving work restricts traffic to one lane each way between U.S. 24 and Raisinville Road through October.
Holland-Sylvania Road: Pavement repairs and bridge work close the street to through traffic between Hill Avenue and Angola Road through Sept. 12. Detour via Reynolds Road.
Wheeling Street: Paving following a water main project closes the street to through traffic between Consaul and York streets until Aug. 8. Detour via Consaul, Front Street, and York.
Huron Street: Waterline construction closes Huron south of Magnolia Street to all but local traffic until mid-summer. Erie Street at Walnut Street will be reduced to one lane at times, and will close for a week; exactly when will be announced next week.
Westwood Avenue: A bridge repair closes the street just south of Bancroft Street until Aug. 21. Use Douglas Road and University Hills Boulevard instead.
Conant Street (U.S. 20): Masonry repairs at Union School will close the northbound right lane at East Harrison Street between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily through Aug. 17.
U.S. 6: Repaving closes one lane in each direction through Huron, Ohio.
U.S. 12: Road repairs west of Jonesville, Mich., require occasional lane closings through mid-October.
U.S. 23: Work associated with U.S. 30 freeway construction east of Upper Sandusky causes occasional lane closings at Wyandot County Road 56. Resurfacing and bridge work requires single-lane zones near Marion, Ohio.
U.S. 24 (Telegraph Road): Repaving work restricts traffic to one lane each way between M-125 and the Huron River bridge in Flat Rock, Mich. In Taylor, Mich., a reconstruction project closes one lane in each direction and shuts down the northbound connector from I-75.
U.S. 30: Road and bridge repairs reduce traffic to one lane each way at four locations between State Rt. 696 and Middlepoint, Ohio. Work zones at the I-75 bridges and between Delphos and Middlepoint are full-time.
U.S. 250: Major reconstruction is under way between State Rt. 2 and the Ohio Turnpike. Two-way traffic is maintained but traffic delays are possible.
State Rt. 2: Reconstruction reduces traffic to one lane each way between State Rt. 4 and U.S. 250. Expect traffic delays.
State Rts. 15, 37: Interchange construction at this Hancock County intersection closes Route 37 until mid-November and restricts Route 15 traffic to one lane each way. Route 37 through traffic is detoured via U.S. 30 and U.S. 68.
State Rt. 60: A bridge replacement and road realignment project in Erie County between State Rt. 113 and U.S. 20 requires a detour via U.S. 20 and State Rts. 601, 61, and 113.
State Rt. 66: Intersection work at Bowman Road in Defiance County closes the road to through traffic. Detour via State Rts.637 and 111.
M-39 (Southfield Freeway): Reconstruction closes the northbound lanes between I-94 and M-153 (Ford Road) until mid-August. The service lanes remain open, but through traffic should detour via I-94, U.S. 24 (Telegraph Road), and M-153.