Road Warrior

5/14/2004

The 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 you should take.

Pavement work will require nighttime ramp closings Tuesday and Wednesday at the I-280/I-75 interchange in North Toledo, and motorists traveling on I-75 through North Baltimore and Findlay should be alert to changing traffic patterns in construction zones next week.

Otherwise, there are few orange-barrel changes in the region.

The Toledo Division of Transportation reports no further lane closings are planned on the Anthony Wayne Trail near I-75 until after the Memorial Day weekend.

1. I-280: Pavement construction will close the northbound ramp to northbound I-75 on Tuesday night and the southbound ramp from southbound I-75 on Wednesday night. During both ramp closings, traffic will be detoured to the Stickney-Lagrange interchange to reverse direction. Work hours will be 7 p.m. until 6 a.m., weather permitting.

Bridge construction at the Maumee River causes occasional daytime traffic stops up to 10 minutes in either direction between the Buckeye Basin Greenbelt Parkway and Starr Avenue. A 35-mph speed limit is posted.

The following ramps are temporarily closed: Manhattan Boulevard to southbound I-280, Greenbelt to southbound I-280, and northbound I-280 to Greenbelt. Manhattan is reduced to one lane each way at I-280, and southbound Front Street is one lane at I-280. Ash and Huron streets are closed at the freeway.

2. I-475: Bridge work requires lane closings at Holland-Sylvania Road between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Holland-Sylvania is reduced to one lane in each direction at I-475. Sign replacements may cause lane closings from 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. at other locations on I-475/U.S. 23 Sunday through Thursday nights.

3. King Bridge: Reconstruction reduces traffic to one lane in each direction.

4. U.S. 24 (Detroit Avenue): Bridge repairs restrict traffic to one lane in each direction between Phillips Avenue and Collingwood Boulevard. Delays are likely.

5. U.S. 20: Bridge and pavement repairs restrict traffic to one lane each way through Woodville. Delays are likely.

6. State Rt. 64: A widening project requires lane closings on East Wooster Street in Bowling Green. Flag zones will be set up at times. Downtown Bowling Green traffic should consider using State Rt. 25 and either U.S. 6 or State Rt. 582 to get to or from I-75.

7. West South Boundary Street: Widening closes the road to through-traffic between State Rts. 25 and 199 until late August. Use Eckel Junction Road instead. Local traffic may be delayed.

8. State Rt. 25: Intersection work at Roachton Road closes the left lane of Route 25 in each direction and closes Roachton to westbound traffic east of Route 25. Detour via State Rt. 199 and Eckel Junction. Expect delays on Route 25.

9. Ohio Turnpike: Resurfacing restricts traffic to a single lane in each direction from the Maumee River to a point west of the U.S. 20 (Reynolds Road) interchange. Local traffic should use the Airport Highway interchange for travel to or from the west, and the I-75 interchange for travel to or from the east.

OFF THE MAP

I-75: Median barrier cleaning will close the left lane in each direction Monday through Thursday between State Rt. 15/U.S. 68 and U.S. 224 in Findlay. Delays are likely. Nighttime resurfacing requires lane closings from the north side of Lima to the Allen-Auglaize county line. No work will be done on Friday and Saturday nights.

I-75/State Rt. 18: The Route 18 bridge over I-75 east of North Baltimore is closed for reconstruction until October. Route 18 traffic is detoured via I-75 and State Rt. 613. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights, I-75 will be reduced to a single lane in each direction from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m., with traffic routed through the Route 18 ramps. No access between I-75 and Route 18 will be allowed during these hours. I-75 lane closings are possible on other nights between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.

U.S. 6/20: Resurfacing requires lane closings on the Fremont bypass. Delays are possible. The eastbound ramp to northbound State Rt. 19 will be closed for reconstruction through next week. Traffic will be detoured to the State Rt. 53 interchange. And for 12 hours starting at 6 p.m. Monday, the westbound ramp to southbound U.S. 6/State Rt. 53 will be closed for paving.

U.S. 23: Resurfacing restricts traffic to one lane in each direction between State Rts. 182 and 199 in the Upper Sandusky area.

U.S. 24: Shoulder work requires flag zones between Carpenter Road, near Defiance, and the Defiance-Henry county line.

Contact the Road Warrior at:

roadwarrior@theblade.com

or 419-724-6094