Southgate Parkway bridge replacement headlines 2023 ODOT Guernsey County Road Projects

Topping the list of 2023 Ohio Department of Transportation District 5 road projects in Guernsey County will be the upcoming bridge replacement on Southgate Parkway, which links downtown Cambridge with the high volume commercial area.

ODOT is the state agency responsible for the maintenance and construction activities on Ohio's highway transportation system, including federal and state routes outside of municipalities and all interstate routes.

District 5 is comprised of seven counties in Southeast Ohio. In addition to Guernsey County, it also includes Coshocton, Fairfield, Muskingum, Knox, Perry and Licking counties.

The most recent ODOT inspection of the Southgate Parkway bridge was completed in November 2022, with the bridge receiving a rating of 5 which is in fair condition, according to ODOT Public Information Officer Morgan Overbey

ODOT rates its bridges on a 0-9 scale with 9 being excellent condition and 0 being failed/out or service/beyond corrective action. The two main points the report contained about the OH 209 bridge condition is that the bridge deck and the paint were listed in poor/deficient condition.

"We do bridge inspections on all of our bridges. If a bridge is rated 7 or above, we inspect it every other year. If it’s a 6 or below, we inspect it annually," Overbey noted. "Usually when a bridge reaches a 4 or 5, we start looking at programming a future project to address the deficiency. So this project has been in the works for some time."

Overby explained that the Southgate Parkway bridge project, which carries a projected cost of $13.4 million, actually began in December.

"There was some minimal work to prepare for construction, including clearing and grubbing of the area," Overbey explained. "There was also some construction of the causeway underneath the bridge before the project was halted for winter shutdown."

Overbey explained the project will start back up in mid-June with the bridge being closed when work restarts. It will affect traffic in the city of Cambridge, as the bridge is expected to remain closed until mid to late August 2024. The actual completion date is estimated at September 2024.

Overby added that the signed detour for the closure will be the state detour, however, ODOT worked with the city officials to identify two local detours that motorists are able to use while the OH 209 bridge is under construction.

Suggestion detours is Ohio 209 to Jefferson Avenue to US 22/US 40 to Ohio 209, and Ohio 209 to Woodlawn Avenue to 11th Street to US 22/US 40 to Ohio 209.

Cambridge Mayor Tom Orr feels patience and a lot of preplanning by residents will lessen the temporary headaches of not having access to the vital connection between downtown and the busy area of Southgate Parkway.

"It needs done since it was built back in the early 1960s, so the bridge is very old," Orr explained. "We are thankful it's being done and feel it will be about a two-year project. I've been a resident of Cambridge most of my life and this will be the biggest project I have seen around here. It's going to be just massive.

"The Southgate Parkway bridge is now the main artery into our town," Orr continued. "We just need to keep our sanity and stay patient. Once it's closed, drivers will need a game plan before jumping into their car. It will cause plenty of disruption in our daily lives, but I think we are ready for it."

ODOT's 2023 vonstruction plan for Guernsey County includes a total of six additional projects.

County route pavement markings upgrade

The $74,000 project will be kick off May 23. ODOT will install and upgrade existing pavement markings and install new raised pavement markings on various county routes in Guernsey County.

Traffic impact to be limited to lane restrictions, with a completion date of October 2023.

Interstate 70 bridge rehab

Work on the bridge rehabilitation of the I-70 structure east of the intersection of I-70 and Ohio 83, over County Road 44 will begin Aug. 7.

Projected cost of project is estimated at $1.4 million, with a completion date of November. Traffic impact to be limited to lane restrictions

Interstate 70/Interstate 77/Ohio 658 culvert preservation

Planned repair of culverts along I-70 and I-77 and replacement of culvert along Ohio 658.

Projected cost of project estimated at $1.5 million, with a completion date of October. Traffic impact to be limited to lane restrictions for I-70 and I-77 work. Road Closure for Ohio 658.

OH 265 slide repair/geologic maintenance

Scheduled for April will be the reconstruction of existing Ohio 265 roadway just east of Range Road (CR 59) intersection with improved subgrade stabilization with geosynthetic projects, granular materials, drainage, and full depth pavement.

Projected cost of project estimated at $155,000 with a completion date of October. Traffic impact will be road Closure for Ohio 265.

Ohio 513/Ohio 761 resurfacing

Resurfacing and related work on Ohio 513 and OH 761 in Guernsey County will begin in May. Ohio 513 from Noble County line to U.S. 22, Ohio 761 from the Noble County Line to Ohio 265.

Projected cost of project comes in at estimated at $3.9 million, with a completion date of October 2023. Traffic impact to be limited to lane restrictions.

Ohio 662 reconstruction

A full depth reclamation of pavement on Ohio 662 planned for July 2023, with related resurfacing, liner grading work, and replacement of existing guardrail along the route.

Projected cost of project estimated at $6.8 million, with a completion date of September 2023. Traffic impact to be Road Closure for OH 662.

During the construction season, ODOT sends weekly updates on ongoing construction and maintenance projects in each county. To sign up for weekly updates, visit: public.govdelivery.com/accounts/OHDOT/subscriber/new

kstutton1@gannett.com; @KSuttonDJSports

This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Southgate Parkway bridge replacement headlines 2023 ODOT projects