Weekend closings set on I-75

1 lane each way to stay open from South Ave. to Buck Rd.

4/20/2012

Two of three lanes are scheduled to be closed in each direction on I-75 this weekend for bridge work associated with a resurfacing project that started early this month, the Ohio Department of Transportation announced Thursday.

Deck sealing will constrict the freeway between South Avenue in Toledo and Buck Road in Rossford from 8 p.m. today until 6 a.m. Monday, officials said.

Both I-75 and I-475 will be reduced to one lane each way on the south side of the Toledo metropolitan area this weekend.

Transportation department officials said last month that the contractor would try to delay the weekend double lane closings until after the July conclusion of bridge work on I-475 at the Maumee River.

Department spokesman Theresa Pollick said Thursday that the sequence of work on I-75 requires the bridge sealing to be done early in the project.

The sealing, intended to lengthen the bridge decks' lifespans, has to be done before adjoining parts of the freeway are repaved, she said.

If forecasts for rain Saturday prove accurate, the work could be delayed, Ms. Pollick said. In that case, it will be rescheduled for the first dry weekend.

Officials hope the weekend scheduling will minimize traffic congestion, especially because it will occur before the start of the summer driving season, Ms. Pollick said.

"We took a look at the traffic on I-475 during the weekend," she said. "The weekday evening rush is the worst. Even during the morning rush hour, the backups aren't too bad."

But, she said, those whose trips are easily adapted to alternative routes such as I-280 should seriously consider them.

Shelly Co. of Findlay began work on the $8.1 million I-75 resurfacing project April 9, and it's scheduled to wrap up in about six months.

Except for the bridge sealing, which can't be finished within 10 hours, all double lane closings for the I-75 construction are restricted to between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. Single lane closings are allowed at all other times in either direction.

Besides sealing the bridge decks, Shelly is to:

Repair concrete joints north of Glenwood Road.

Repave the freeway's surface between the Maumee River and State Rt. 199 in Perrysburg.

Repair a failing embankment on the southbound side between Miami Street and Wales Road.