Road Warrior: Area construction projects
10/26/2001The 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 I-75 reconstruction project in central Toledo isn't the only road construction to encounter weather-related delays in recent weeks. Bridge work on I-280, south of State Rt. 795, has been extended by 10 days into early November, while bridge work on U.S. 6 at U.S. 24 on the west side of Napoleon now is expected to continue until Nov. 30, a month later than previously announced. On State Rt. 281, a culvert project previously scheduled to end Wednesday now will continue until Nov. 16.
Bridge demolition will close a busy South Toledo underpass next week. Starting Wednesday and continuing for two weeks, Fearing Boulevard will be closed between Hill Avenue and Airport Highway while Norfolk Southern removes an abandoned bridge over the street. Fearing is a short street that links North Detroit and South Detroit avenues and is part of U.S. 24.
The posted detour will direct traffic to Byrne Road, two miles to the west. Detouring via Westwood Avenue is shorter, but motorists may encounter train delays at a railroad crossing. Consider Hawley Street as an alternate route as well.
Sewer projects, meanwhile, will close portions of Lewis Avenue and Front Street starting next week. Front, south of Main Street, will close Monday, and Lewis near Whittier School will close on Tuesday.
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: Guardrail work, stripe painting, and rumble-strip cutting will require nighttime lane closings between I-475 and I-280 into early November. Catch basin work will require lane closings in the same area between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. today and early next week. Hours for night work are 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.
2. I-280: Bridge reconstruction limits traffic to one lane each way between State Rt. 795 and the Hanley/Latcha roads interchange. Construction continues through Nov. 9.
3. I-75: Pavement repairs continue to require full-time lane closings Monday through Thursday between Hancock County Road 99 and State Rt. 15/U.S. 68. Full-time lane closings are expected to end Tuesday on the southbound side and on Nov. 6 for northbound traffic, but nighttime construction will continue.
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.
6. U.S. 23: Barrier wall repairs will close the northbound exit at Monroe Street between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday next week. Traffic will be detoured to the Sterns Road interchange in southern Michigan.
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. State Rt. 281: A culvert replacement closes the road just west of State Rt. 108 through Nov. 16. Detour via State Rts. 108 and 18.
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. The scheduled completion date is Nov. 15.
10. M-50: Signal and repaving work restricts traffic to one lane each way between U.S. 24 and Raisinville Road into early November.
11. State Rt. 795: Culvert installations close the road between I-280 and State Rt. 51 during daylight hours through next week. Detour via I-280 and Route 51.
12. I-280: Widening work closes the shoulders between Manhattan Boulevard and the Buckeye Basin Greenbelt Parkway and between Front Street and Navarre Avenue. The work requires a 45 mph speed limit and occasionally requires nighttime lane closings (9 p.m. to 6 a.m.). The Manhattan exit from northbound I-280 is closed into December; the Starr Avenue exit from southbound I-280 is closed until July, and the Manhattan entrance to southbound I-280 is closed until late next year.
13. State Rt. 108: Resurfacing restricts traffic to a single lane, governed by flag crews, between Napoleon and Holgate.
14. U.S. 223: Pavement repairs require daytime flag zones between Lipp and Tagsold highways in southeastern Lenawee County through November.
15. Seaman Road: Construction of an overpass at the Norfolk Southern tracks, east of Lallendorf Road, closes the road until May 31, 2003. Use Starr Avenue or Corduroy Road instead.
16. U.S. 6: Overpass repairs restrict traffic to one lane each way at the U.S. 6-U.S. 24 junction at the west end of the Napoleon bypass through Nov. 30. On Wednesday, the ramp from eastbound U.S. 24 to westbound U.S. 6 will close for one week of repair.
17. Elmer Drive: Bridge reconstruction closes the street to through traffic between Holland-Sylvania and Reynolds roads. Detour via Bancroft Street.
18. Old State Line Road: Pavement reconstruction and drainage work close the road to through traffic between Wilkins and Berkey-Southern roads. Detour via Lathrop, Angola, and Berkey-Southern (State Rt. 295) roads.
19. Neowash Road: Reconstruction and bridge work close the road between Henry-Lucas and Providence-Neapolis-Swanton roads through Oct. 31. Detour via Mohler Road.
20. Garden Road: Intersection reconstruction restricts Garden to westbound traffic at Holland-Sylvania Road. Detour via Airport Highway.
Fearing Boulevard: Overpass demolition closes the street between Hill Avenue and Airport Highway for two weeks starting Wednesday. Detour via Hill, Byrne Road, and Airport.
Front Street: Sewer construction will close the street between Main Street and the First Street/Oak Street intersection for nine days starting Monday. Detour via Main, Starr Avenue, East Broadway, Stillman, and Fassett streets. Plan alternate routes.
Lewis Avenue: Sewer repairs will close the street between Dryden Drive and Martin Avenue for three days starting Tuesday. Detour via Sylvania Avenue, Bennett Road, and Eleanor Avenue.
Upton Avenue: Waterline work and pavement repair close the street to through traffic between Ottawa Drive and Bancroft Street until Nov. 22. Detour via Auburn Avenue and Monroe Street. Intersecting streets will be closed at Upton at varying times during the project.
Holland-Sylvania Road, Hill Avenue: Reconstruction restricts Holland-Sylvania to southbound traffic only between Hill and Angola Road through December, and Hill remains closed at Holland-Sylvania. Use Reynolds Road instead of Holland-Sylvania and Angola or Dorr Street instead of Hill.
Summit, Magnolia, Huron streets: Waterline construction will restrict traffic to one lane each way at Magnolia Street for 10 days starting Monday. Huron, which has been closed south of Magnolia, and Magnolia, which has been closed between Huron and Summit, are scheduled to reopen late Tuesday.
Ohio Turnpike: Single-lane zones may be in effect at several locations during off-peak hours. The speed limit is 50 mph between Stony Ridge and Elmore because of widening construction.
I-75: Sign work requires daytime lane closings between I-275 and the Monroe-Wayne county line.
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 requires single-lane zones between State Rt. 182 and the Marion County line.
U.S. 24 (Telegraph Road): In Taylor, Mich., a reconstruction project closes one lane in each direction and closes the northbound connector from I-75.
U.S. 30: Shoulder work resurfacing restricts traffic to a single lane, governed by flag crews, between the Upper Sandusky bypass and the Wyandot-Hancock county line. Expect delays. Full-time lane closings on repair projects near Beaverdam and between Delphos and Middle Point, Ohio, have ended, but varying day-to-day work zones continue.
U.S. 250: Major reconstruction is under way between State Rt. 2 and the Ohio Turnpike. Two-way traffic is maintained.
State Rt. 2: Reconstruction reduces traffic to one lane each way between State Rt. 4 and U.S. 250.
State Rts. 15, 37: Interchange construction closes Route 37 and restricts Route 15 to one lane each way through November.
State Rt. 37: Sewer construction in Forest closes the route through Nov. 10. Detour via State Rt. 293, U.S. 30, and State Rt. 53.
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.