Drivers on DiSalle Bridge face day, night lane closings

3/15/2010

Lane closings are to go back into effect indefinitely Monday along the DiSalle Bridge on I-75 in South Toledo.

An Ohio Department of Transportation contractor is about to resume a major rehabilitation project that began last year.

For the time being, all lanes will be open during the morning and afternoon rushes, but double-lane closings are possible at night. Full-time construction will resume in early April, said Theresa Pollick, a department spokesman in Bowling Green.

Posen Construction of Shelby Township, Michigan, near Detroit, began work on the $10.2 million project to renovate the DiSalle Bridge and two nearby I-75 bridges last summer. The transportation department's original schedule called for all work to be finished by winter. The project was delayed in part by problems associated with concrete in the bridge's structure.

Only the northbound right and center lanes were completed before work halted for the season.

Posen will set up signs, paint lane stripes, install rigging for bridge painting, and do other preparations in the coming weeks, Ms. Pollick said.

The northbound left lane is to be the next to be repaired and resurfaced.

One lane may be closed in either direction between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily. Two lanes may be closed at times between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Full-time work will require splitting two open northbound lanes into different paths.

The northbound right lane will keep its normal course during this phase, but the left lane will cross over and use what is normally the southbound left lane, with a temporary barrier separating opposing traffic.

During the full-time work, the Wales Road and Miami Street entrances to northbound I-75 will be closed, as will the southbound entrance from South Avenue. The northbound exit at Miami will remain open. Northbound traffic using the crossover lane will not have access to the exits at Miami or South.

Once the work is finished on the northbound left lane, it will shift to the bridge's southbound side, requiring significant changes in traffic patterns.

This is likely to occur in late May, Ms. Pollick said.

Contact David Patch at:

dpatch@theblade.com

or 419-724-6094.