Construction on Columbia Parkway, Wooster Pike, other roads may impede East Side commuters

East Side drivers can expect hefty construction work on portions of U.S. 50 this year.

Contractors for the Ohio Department of Transportation began working on a nearly $15 million multi-phase Bridge Rehabilitation and Resurfacing project Monday on the East Side of Cincinnati. Construction will affect Columbia Parkway and Wooster Pike, which are part of U.S. 50, as well as roads in Terrace Park.

The Enquirer spoke to Kathleen Fuller, ODOT spokesperson, to determine everything you need to know about the upcoming construction project.

What is the construction?

The U.S. 50 Bridge Rehabilitation and Resurfacing project includes four main components:

• Rehab a bridge on Columbia Parkway located over Red Bank Road. The rehabilitation work includes replacing the bridge's deck with reinforced concrete and replacing the expansion joints and backwalls.

• Rehab a bridge on Columbia Parkway located over entrance ramps onto Red Bank Road. The rehabilitation work also includes replacing the bridge's deck with reinforced concrete and replacing the expansion joints and backwalls.

• Repaving from immediately west of the bridges to Settle Road, also known as Belmont Street, in Fairfax. This includes portions of Columbia Parkway and Wooster Pike.

• Repaving between the corporation limits in Terrace Park.

How will the construction affect my commute?

The bridgework will have the greatest impact. The portion of U.S. 50 under construction will be limited to one lane in both directions for likely the rest of the year. Currently, the left lane in the eastbound direction and the left lane in the westbound direction are closed.

Fuller said she does not anticipate total closures on U.S. 50. There will be intermittent closures on the ramps to Red Bank Road located below the second bridge.

Is US 50 in Cincinnati safe?

The bridge construction on U.S. 50 is necessary for the bridges to meet mandatory design standards.

"Design standards get changed periodically, and they get upgraded ... So if something was built, say, 50, 60 years ago, it's not going to meet current standards," Fuller said. "It doesn't mean that it's deficient or we have any dangers with it."

"It's still safe," she said. "It just doesn't meet what the standards are today."

When will the construction be finished?

The bridgework is scheduled to be finished this year, Fuller said. She adds that the pavement work on U.S. 50, at Columbia Parkway and Wooster Pike, and in Terrace Park will likely not occur until next year. She says the total project will be finished by October 2025.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: ODOT: US 50 in Cincinnati undergoing rehabilitation project