Route 531 open west of Route 193
May 25—NORTH KINGSVILLE — After more than 18 months of work, a section of Route 531 is open again, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.
Route 531 was closed between LaBounty Road and just west of Route 193 in late November 2022, due to erosion encroaching on the roadway near the North Kingsville-Ashtabula Township line, and ODOT started an emergency project soon after to protect the roadway.
Steel sheet pilings were driven into the ground adjacent to the roadway to stabilize the slope.
Work continued on the section of road periodically throughout 2023 and 2024.
In March, ODOT closed Route 531 adjacent to Monday Drive for another erosion protection project.
ODOT spokesperson Ray Marsch said the section of Route 531 adjacent to Monday Drive should be open to traffic late next week.
ODOT is also planning for another project in the area, intended to provide long-term projection for Route 531.
The project would include bringing in large stones and setting them along the shoreline, then stacking smaller stones on top of them, progressing up the slope, ODOT spokesman Justin Chesnic said previously.
"We're working on getting the permits now, through the Army Corps of Engineers and the Ohio EPA," he said in April. "That takes at least a year, to get those permits, so we're hoping by next May or June, we have the permits for that. And it's probably a $20 to $30 million project, right around $25 million, I would say."
The project could start as early as 2026, depending on funding.
