The Blade's Road Warrior

7/2/2004

The Blade s Road Warrior tells readers where the biggest driving headaches will be throughout the construction season. He will tell you which spots to avoid and what detours to take.

There will be no lane closings on freeways in Lucas and Wood counties during the Independence Day weekend, the Ohio Department of Transportation said yesterday, and the Ohio Turnpike also should be free of orange barrels. Travelers should plan for construction on several key secondary routes, however.

Potentially the most troublesome is resurfacing on the Anthony Wayne Trail through Maumee. Work yesterday caused substantial congestion at Conant Street, and ODOT said the contractor is free to continue construction this weekend with the exception that all lanes must be open by 5 p.m. tomorrow in advance of the Maumee-Perrysburg fireworks display.

Elsewhere, bridge replacement projects close U.S. 23 between U.S. 6 and Fostoria, and State Rt. 18 at I-75 near North Baltimore. State-route detours are posted for these projects, although local roads offer shorter alternatives in both cases.

In Erie County, bridge repairs restrict State Rt. 2 to one lane in each direction at the Huron River and Mud Brook. To avoid delay, use the turnpike to go to Cleveland.

As usual, those hitting the highways for the holiday will have lots of company, according to AAA. Based on a telephone survey, the auto club predicts 39.4 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles from home this weekend, up 3.4 percent from last year s 38.2 million. About 87 percent of them will go by private vehicle.

While lower than they were on Memorial Day, gasoline prices remain substantially higher than a year ago. National averages are down 10 cents a gallon since the end of May, but up 44 cents compared with July 4, 2003. Locally, prices rebounded to the mid $1.80s yesterday for self-service, unleaded regular after dipping as low as the upper $1.60s at some locations on Wednesday.

1. I-280: 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 closed temporarily: Manhattan Boulevard to southbound I-280, Greenbelt to southbound I-280, and northbound I-280 to Greenbelt. The Starr entrance to northbound I-280 will reopen today.

Manhattan Boulevard 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 reduces Holland-Sylvania Road to one lane in each direction at I-475. Nighttime lane closings are possible on I-475.

3. State Rt. 2 (Broadway): Bridge reconstruction restricts traffic to one lane in each direction between Logan Street and Segur Avenue in South Toledo. Delays are likely during the peak traffic hours.

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

5. U.S. 20/State Rt. 105: Bridge and pavement repairs restrict U.S. 20 traffic to one lane each way through Woodville. Westbound Route 105 is closed at U.S. 20, and left turns from westbound U.S. 20 to eastbound Route 105 are not allowed. Detour via State Rt. 51.

6. State Rt. 64: All work is suspended for the holiday weekend on the East Wooster Street widening project in Bowling Green. Construction will resume Tuesday, requiring lane closings and flag zones. 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. Resurfacing on West Wooster has been completed.

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 reduces Route 25 to one northbound lane and closes Roachton to westbound traffic east of Route 25. Detour via State Rt. 199 and Eckel Junction. Expect delays on Route 25.

9. I-75: A resurfacing project requires single-lane closings and two-lane closings at night between the I-475/U.S. 23 interchange near Perrysburg and the DiSalle Bridge in Toledo. Work is scheduled for completion by July 12.

10. U.S. 20 (Reynolds Road): Resurfacing requires varying lane closings between Airport Highway and the railroad overpass near Angola Road. ]

11. U.S. 20/State Rt. 120 (Central Avenue), McCord Road: Work associated with widening Central closes northbound McCord between Carrietowne Drive and Kelker Street through July 22. Detour via King Road.

12. Erie Street: Bridge reconstruction closes the street between Collingwood Boulevard and Hamilton Street until the end of August. A posted detour follows Collingwood and Nebraska Avenue.

13. Talmadge Road, Sylvania Avenue: Resurfacing and repairs require lane closings on both streets near their intersection. Delays are likely, especially during rush hours.

14. U.S. 23: A bridge replacement at Sugar Creek closes the route near Mermill Road until sometime next week. Detour via State Rt. 199 and U.S. 6.

15. U.S. 24/State Rt. 25 (Anthony Wayne Trail): Resurfacing requires lane closings between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m., except for the morning rush toward Toledo and the evening rush toward Maumee. The work area extends from the Maumee-Toledo line to I-475/U.S. 23. Delays are likely.

16. U.S. 20, State Rt. 295: Turn-lane construction closes Route 295 on the south side of U.S. 20 until July 16. Detour via U.S. 20 and State Rts. 64 and 2.

17. State Rt. 65: Resurfacing requires daytime flag zones between State Rts. 235 and 64. Minor delays are possible.

18. Erie Street, Monroe Street (State Rt. 51): Repairs and resurfacing cause varying lane closings on Erie between Monroe and Cherry streets. Starting Tuesday, Monroe will be closed for reconstruction between Erie and Michigan streets. Use Michigan or 14th streets to reach I-75 entrance ramps.

19. Collingwood Boulevard: Bridge reconstruction closes the street at I-75, between Dorr and Monroe streets, until Sept. 8.

20. Summit Street: Reconstruction of the Ottawa River bridge reduces traffic to one lane in each direction.

21. State Rt. 582: Deck repairs close the route at the bridge over I-75 starting Tuesday. Posted detours will take eastbound traffic down to Bowling Green on I-75, and westbound traffic up to Perrysburg. Plan to use local roads if possible to avoid these extended detours.

OFF THE MAP

I-75: Nighttime resurfacing requires lane closings from State Rt. 81 on the north side of Lima to the Allen-Auglaize county line. Daytime lane closings will affect northbound traffic Tuesday through Thursday at a repair site seven miles south of Findlay. Pavement testing requires lane closings near North Baltimore, northbound on Tuesday and southbound on Wednesday.

I-75/State Rt. 18: The Route 18 bridge over I-75 east of North Baltimore is closed for reconstruction until October. Nighttime lane closings may occur on I-75.

U.S. 6/20: Repaving of the Fremont bypass is suspended for the holiday. Delays are possible when work resumes Tuesday.

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

Contact the Road Warrior at:roadwarrior@theblade.comor 419-724-6094.