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Vol. XVIIII • No. 5
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ODOT’s $500M I-75 Thru the Valley Enters Second Year By Irwin Rapoport CEG CORRESPONDENT
Phases 1 and 2 of the Ohio Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) seven-phase, multi-year I-75 Thru the Valley Project, which is valued at $500 to $600 million, began last spring when John R. Jurgensen Company (JRJC) crews began its $96 million contract. The company’s portion is expected to be completed in the fall of 2020. The ongoing work in the greater Cincinnati area covers approximately 2.7 mi. of I-75 from just south of Shepherd Lane to just north of Glendale-Milford Road. It is being funded by the Transportation Review Advisory Council and ODOT’s Bridge and Pavement Funds. Phase 1 will widen and resurface I-75 between Shepherd and Glendale-Milford, redesign the Shepherd Lane interchange, remove collector distributor system and improve the Glendale-Milford interchange. Phase 2 will construct a local connection between Shepherd Avenue and GlendaleMilford Road thru GE (Neumann Way). The overall project covers nearly 8 mi.,
and will see a lane added on each side of I75 (currently three-lanes in each direction); the resurfacing of the existing roadway; and upgrading of several interchanges from state Route 126/Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway to just south of I-275. An additional fifth auxiliary lane will be added where warranted. The project’s goals are to improve safety and ease congestion on I-75, increase regional mobility and provide transportation solutions that fit in with local residential and commercial development. The overall section being upgraded carries approximately 92,980 cars and trucks daily, and when completed, will meet traffic needs for several decades. “All along the I-75 corridor we have traffic congestion,” said Brian Cunningham, communications manager, ODOT District 8, “and in particular, in morning and afternoon rush periods. These interchanges were designed in the 1950s, built in the 1960s, and do not meet today’s geometrical design, nor traffic volumes. The area is also receiving a lot more through commercial traffic which we have to account for.”
Boulders Crash Onto Ohio Highway, Force Cleanup Boulders as wide as a traffic lane have tumbled onto a highway and closed part of that road in Ohio’s far southern tip. The Ohio Department of Transportation said no one was hurt in the rock slide on state Route 7 near Chesapeake, across the Ohio River from Huntington, West Virginia. The department said crews began trying to break up and move the rocks Feb. 26 and continued that work overnight. The crashing boulders left massive cracks in the road. The department has warned that the westbound lanes of Route 7 could be closed for weeks for cleanup and repair work after. The highway’s eastbound lanes were expected to reopen more quickly. (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s website at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.)
Work continues on Glendale-Milford Road and on the new Neumann Way on-ramp to northbound I-75.
The 8-mi. section was built in 1960s. The Phase 1 and 2 work was designed by IBE Group. “We’re looking at the pavement to last 12 to 15 years,” said Cunningham, “which may require some incremental maintenance work.” The I-75 Thru the Valley highway is a multi-state concern, with planning for the upgrade beginning in 2000 when the North South Transportation Initiative and the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission cooperated in a regional multi-modal transportation plan. “Improvements are being designed to minimize construction impacts,” said Cunningham. “Every attempt is being made to maintain three lanes of traffic in each direction throughout the duration of construction, but there will be times that is not possible during night work. For Phase 1, construction of the Glendale-
Milford Bridge is under way. Phase 2 work has seen a barrier put in place for Glendale-Milford Bridge work and ramp closure. The NB collector of I-75 to EB Glendale-Milford ramp has been closed and the SB collector of I-75 to the GlendaleMilford ramps shifted to temporary pavement with reduced lane widths to allow for new ramp construction. “There are issues on every project dealing with inclement weather, scheduling conflicts and work zone crashes,” said Cunningham, “but we’re not experiencing anything unique that is affecting the project. Right now, most of the work is occurring by day, and during the winter months, the work is minimal. We’re expecting additional crews coming on at the end of February.” Routine progress meetings are held with Jurgensen and other stakeholders. see PROJECT page 2