Harpersfield Covered Bridge to open tonight
May 24—HARPERSFIELD — The Harpersfield Covered Bridge is scheduled to re-open to traffic at 5 p.m. today, according to a press release from the Ashtabula County Board of Commissioners.
According to the release, the re-opening is in response to the closure of the intersection of routes 534 and 307.
The release includes four tips for drivers in the area. The bridge is still an active construction site, and will be subject to periodic closures. Traffic will be restricted to a single lane, with traffic signals on either side. No commercial trucks will be allowed on the bridge due to height restrictions. Finally, the bridge can be accessed from State Road from the south and Harpersfield Road from the north.
The release urges drivers to stay vigilant in the area, and use alternate routes when necessary.
Anyone seeking more information can contact the Ashtabula County Engineer's Office at 440-576-3707 or the Ashtabula County Commissioners Office at 440-576-3750.
The intersection of routes 534 and 307 is being modified to a roundabout in an attempt by the Ohio Department of Transportation to make the intersection safer.
According to information from ODOT, the closure is expected to last until late June.
The project is expected to cost $2.74 million.
An ODOT study of crashes between 2005 and 2014 determined that a roundabout was the best way to improve the safety of the intersection.
The study found the primary contributing factors to the crashes were failure to yield, at 74 percent, and following too closely at 21 percent, according to ODOT.
Roundabouts have been shown to reduce the severity and frequency of all types of crashes without increasing the potential for new causes of crashes, according to ODOT.
