The Blade's Road Warrior
11/4/2005The Blade s Road Warrior advises readers where the biggest driving headaches will be throughout the construction season. He ll tell you locations to avoid and detours to take.
Lane stripe painting is scheduled to require a succession of lane closings on Toledo area freeways during the next few days, with the caution that the work requires dry pavement conditions.
From 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. today, I-75 will be reduced to a single lane between I-475/U.S. 23 in Perrysburg and the Maumee River for striping, while U.S. 23/I-475 will be affected between Central Avenue and the Michigan border from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Expect extensive delays in both areas, particularly as I-75 is part of the detour route for I-280.
Collette Bell, an ODOT spokesman, said yesterday that the striping is part of an annual maintenance contract and the conflict was inadvertent but unavoidable.
The painting crews will move to I-75 between Bowling Green and North Baltimore tomorrow from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m., and to I-475 between I-75 (downtown Toledo) and Talmadge Road on Sunday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
On the plus side, reconstruction of the Fred C. Young Bridge over the Ottawa River on Summit Street was officially completed with a dedication ceremony yesterday. The late Mr. Young was a Toledo City Councilman and dubbed the Mayor of Point Place for his political activism.
1. I-280: The freeway is closed between Greenbelt Parkway and Summit Street for bridge construction. Through traffic is detoured via State Rt. 795 and I-75. Expect delays at the Ohio Turnpike/I-75 toll plaza.
The Summit entrance to the southbound Craig Memorial Bridge is open during the I-280 closing, which is expected to continue into mid-May.
Front Street is restricted to one lane each way at I-280 until Nov. 14. Left turns are prohibited between Dearborn Avenue and Esther Street, including I-280 ramps.
The ramp from southbound I-280 to eastbound Front Street is closed until Nov. 14, while the Front Street entrance to northbound I-280 is closed until Nov. 30. Ash and Huron streets are closed at I-280.
2. U.S. 20/23, State Rt. 420: Interchange construction closes one lane each way on Route 420 south of Truman Road. Pemberville Road is closed at U.S. 20/23 for overpass construction. Use Bradner or Lemoyne roads instead.
3. U.S. 24: Resurfacing requires flag zones between Luna Pier and Dunbar roads. Delays are likely. Completion is scheduled for later this month.
4. Martin Luther King, Jr., Bridge: Preparatory work associated with draw-span replacement requires varying lane closings. Some are only in effect from 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, except on holidays, but others are full time. Expect delays.
5. I-75: Pavement and bridge rehabilitation restricts I-75 two lanes southbound between LaPlaisance and Erie roads and northbound at Dunbar Road and the River Raisin. Unannounced additional lane closings in either direction are possible.
Bridge work at Ready Road, near South Rockwood, Mich., closes one lane in each direction.
6. Byrne Road: Bridge reconstruction and pavement work restrict traffic to one lane in each direction between Hill Avenue and Airport Highway and between Heatherdowns Boulevard and Glendale Avenue. Byrne remains closed between Stengel and Detroit avenues for sewer construction.
7. State Rt. 246 (Dorr Street): Resurfacing restricts traffic to one lane in each direction between Detroit Avenue and Collingwood Boulevard.
8. Laskey Road: Street reconstruction restricts traffic to westbound only between Secor and Talmadge roads. Eastbound traffic is detoured via Alexis Road until Nov. 18.
9. Cherry and Summit Street intersection: Resurfacing requires occasional lane closings, with delays possible on the King Bridge.
10. Washington Street: Rehabilitation closes Washington between 11th and Michigan streets. Use Monroe Street instead.
11. U.S. 6: Railroad crossing repairs will close the route near Bradner, Ohio, for seven days, starting Monday. Detour via State Rts. 281 and 199.
12. U.S. 23/I-475: Pavement and bridge maintenance will close the ramp from northbound I-75 to northbound U.S. 23/I-475 near Perrysburg from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Sunday. Traffic will be detoured north on I-75 to the U.S. 20/23 interchange.
13. I-75: Unspecified repair work requires lane closings in both directions Sunday and Monday at State Rts. 105/64 in Bowling Green. Work hours will be 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. each day.
OFF THE MAP
I-75: Median barrier repairs require nighttime lane closings between Hancock County Road 99 and Findlay, while crack sealing will require daytime lane closings next week between Beaverdam and Bluffton, Ohio.
U.S. 6/U.S. 20: Traffic is reduced to one lane each way at the western end of the Fremont bypass, with temporary traffic signals regulating the merge between U.S. 6 and U.S. 20.
U.S. 6: A culvert replacement will close the route at Wapakoneta Road in Wood County through next week. Detour via State Rts. 109, 281, and 25.
State Rt. 2: Rehabilitation of the Edison Bridge over Sandusky Bay restricts traffic to one lane each way. Delays are possible, especially on weekends.
Contact the Road Warrior at: roadwarrior@theblade.com or 419-724-6094.