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$274M U.S. 33 Expansion Will Accommodate Modern Traffic
By Cindy Riley
CORRESPONDENT
A $274 million project that’s been planned for decades is finally under way in Ohio. As part of the U.S. 33 expansion effort, a total of 25 mi. of U.S. 33 in Athens and Meigs Counties will be converted from two lanes to a four-lane, divided highway.
“These are the last remaining two-lane segments of U.S. 33 between Columbus and the Ohio River,” said Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) District 10 spokesperson Ashley Rittenhouse. “U.S. 33 is the direct route between central Ohio and
the southeastern U.S. via a connection with Interstate 77. It’s an emerging freight corridor, with trucks making up an increasing percentage of the average daily traffic.
“More than 20 years ago, ODOT secured the right-of-way necessary to expand these sections to four lanes. Connect4Ohio funding made the project a reality. Due to the increasing amount of truck traffic on the corridor and ODOT’s continued focus on improving safety for roadway users, it’s an ideal time for this project to occur.”
In June 2024, state and local leaders took part in the official groundbreaking. They
were joined by representatives for Kokosing Construction, the general contractor.
“Kokosing Construction was the low bidder on each section,” said Rittenhouse. “We look forward to partnering with them on this project over the next few years.”
Rock blasting is a major component of the project, which includes building 10 new bridges, resurfacing the existing roadway and making minor drainage improvements. Rittenhouse said the finished product will be worth the wait.
“This project has many benefits, but improving safety is the most rewarding
part,” he said “There’s an expectation that traffic volumes will grow after the project is complete, as the multi-lane and higher speed limits will be attractive to drivers.”
According to Scott Kennedy, ODOT District 10 project engineer, things are going well on the Five Points to Ravenswood section.
“The weather has generally been conducive to construction. There are always a few issues that arise, but so far, we have partnered well to get those resolved and continue progressing efficiently.
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ODOT District 10 photo
A $274 million project that’s been planned for decades is finally under way between Columbus and the Ohio River.
ODOT District 10 photo
The contractor is excavating with drag pans and excavators, hauling with articulating trucks and large off-road rock trucks.
State Announces $97.2M to Improve Roadway Safety
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Director Pamela Boratyn announced Jan. 12, 2026, details on 39 transportation projects that will improve safety on roadways in 27 counties across the state.
The safety projects are funded with $97.2 million from ODOT’s Highway Safety Improvement Program, the largest safety program in the country based on per capita
spending. This record investment has led to four consecutive years of reduced fatalities and serious injuries.
“We want Ohioans to get from place to place safely,” said DeWine. “We put a lot of effort into road design and physical road safety in order to make our roads as safe as possible.”
Roadway safety improvements funded through this round of the grant program will
include roundabouts, turn lanes, intersection upgrades, more visible signs and pavement markings and high-visibility crosswalks, sidewalks and bike lanes.
Projects will be funded in State Fiscal Years 2026 through 2031.
“These projects represent a strategic, datadriven approach to reducing deadly and serious injury crashes on Ohio roadways,” said Boratyn. “By combining proven safety countermeasures with proactive improvements, we are investing in solutions that save lives and reduce the risk of crashes before they happen.”
Ohio’s Highway Safety Improvement Program addresses road locations with a history of fatal or injury crashes where other safety improvements have not been effective.
Perrysburg Begins $8.5M Wastewater Treatment Plant Project
The city of Perrysburg has begun an $8.5 million rehabilitation project at its wastewater treatment plant focused on improvements to the facility’s digester system. Construction began Jan. 5, 2026, and is expected to last approximately nine months.
The project will rehabilitate and modernize critical infrastructure within the digester complex, which plays a key role in the wastewater treatment process. Once completed, the improvements will extend the life of the system, improve operational reliability and help ensure continued compliance with environmental regulations.
During construction, the contractor will require full access to the digester complex. As a result, the city’s normal wastewater treatment operations will be temporarily adjusted. During this period, the wastewater treatment plant will change how it processes wastewater. Instead of handling
material that has already been treated, the plant will need to process untreated material each day for the duration of the project.
This operational change may result in occasional days when odors are more noticeable than usual, particularly in and around the treatment plant. The city understands this may be an inconvenience and appreciates the patience and understanding of residents while this important infrastructure work is completed.
City staff will continue to monitor operations closely and take reasonable steps to minimize impacts where possible. The Digester Rehabilitation project represents a significant investment in Perrysburg’s wastewater infrastructure and supports the city’s long-term commitment to protecting public health, environmental quality and essential services.
For more information, visit perrysburgoh.gov.
ODOT photo
Ohio’s Highway Safety Improvement Program addresses road locations with a history of fatal or injury crashes where other safety improvements have not been effective.
City of Perrysburg photo
Construction began Jan. 5, 2026, on a rehabilitation project at the city of Perrysburg’s wastewater treatment plant.
ODOT graphic
ODOT, Dublin Wrap Construction On SR 161/Post Road Project
Construction is complete on the SR 161/Post Road improvement project at the U.S. 33 interchange. The $40 million initiative, a partnership between the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), the city of Dublin, the Union County Engineer’s Office and the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), delivers a safer, more efficient interchange to serve the growing region.
The project involved a full reconstruction of the interchange, including new ramps and two loop ramps designed to eliminate left-turn conflicts. The new U.S. 33 eastbound ramp now connects directly to the Eiterman Road roundabout, while the westbound ramp aligns with an upgraded signal at Hyland Croy Road. The project also included resurfacing U.S. 33 and replacing and widening the bridge carrying U.S. 33 over S.R. 161/Post Road.
transformative improvement to life. Thank you to our residents, commuters and businesses for their patience and understanding throughout the construction process. Your cooperation helped make this gateway to Dublin safer and more efficient for everyone who travels through our community.”
“This interchange is truly a critical con-
“This project represents a significant investment in safety, mobility and connectivity for our region.”
“This project represents a significant investment in safety, mobility and connectivity for our region,” said Megan O’Callaghan, city manager, city of Dublin. “We appreciate our partnership with ODOT, MORPC and Union County in bringing this
Megan OÊCallaghan City
of Dublin
nection between the city of Dublin and Union County,” said Toni Turowski, ODOT District 6 deputy director. “A better functioning interchange will help move people between these growing areas with greater safety and efficiency.”
Both U.S. 33 and Post Road are heavily traveled routes vital to regional mobility, requiring the project to be completed in
phases to maintain traffic flow.
“We know this construction had a major impact on daily commuters, and we thank everyone for their patience,” Turowski said.
“Keeping traffic moving and the project on
schedule was a tremendous accomplishment. We appreciate the collaboration with Complete General and the city of Dublin. Projects of this scale are only successful when strong partners work together.”
ODOT photo
The $40 million initiative delivers a safer, more efficient interchange to serve the growing region.
ODOT’s U.S. 33 Expansion Led By Kokosing Construction
In
“The connecting roads will be closed for 10 days to tie into the new road alignment. The roads that have bridges spanning over them will be closed during the setting of bridge beams. There will be longer closures of connecting roads on the Athens section.”
ODOT District 10 area engineer Daniel McDonald acknowledged the Athens corridor is getting a slower start than anticipated.
“With the fast pace of the plan preparation, we had to wait on permits from outside agencies. The Athens corridor involves the construction of full limited access interchanges and will provide the most construction challenges, while the Meigs corridor will consist of atgrade intersections.”
Crews will be tasked with maintaining local access to U.S. 33 during construction while the interchanges are complete. The plan is to build the interchanges in separate phases, with detours in place while each is constructed.
“Another challenge with the Athens corridor is that most of the excavation is located at the southeast end of the corridor, and most of the embankment needs to be constructed at the northwest end of the corridor,” said McDonald. “It’s not practical to haul material that far, so the contractor plans to use borrow and waste areas to limit their haul distances. The Meigs corridor is more balanced. The contractor
plans to start on the west end and work towards the east until the project is complete.”
McDonald noted that tree clearing
contracts were sold and completed ahead of the roadway work.
see ODOT page 9
ODOT from page 1
ODOT District 10 photo
As part of the U.S. 33 expansion effort, a total of 25 mi. of U.S. 33 in Athens and Meigs Counties will be converted from two lanes to a fourlane, divided highway.
ODOT District 10 photo
June 2024, state and local leaders took part in the official groundbreaking. They were joined by representatives for Kokosing Construction, the general contractor.
ODOT District 10 photo Drills are being used for rock blasting and for a drilled shaft wall at the toe of a slope on the Meigs corridor.
ODOT District 10 photo Athens to Darwin work includes
excavation;
asphalt;
Excavation, Embankment Now Focus of ODOT Project
“Now that roadway work has begun, excavation and embankment is the primary focus. The contractor has already moved approximately 300,000 cu. yds. of excavation and 300,000 cu. yds. of embankment.”
On the Five Points to Ravenswood section, various activities are taking place. Crews are completing mass excavation, constructing fills, installing drainage structures and pipes. Final grading is being completed on some slopes, where applicable. Waste areas are being prepped for use, and a drilled shaft retaining wall is being installed.
Blasting is required where rock excavation is necessary. It will take place throughout the entirety of the project. During blasting operations, rolling roadblocks will be in place on U.S. 33.
“Blasting is necessary to break rocks and rock layers that cannot be excavated by other means,” said Kennedy. “The amount of
“Blasting is necessary to break rocks and rock layers that cannot be excavated by other means.”
Scott Kennedy ODOT District 10
blasting is unknown. The areas are determined as the excavation progresses. Blasting usually occurs one or two times per day, pending weather. There will be some presplitting eventually, but the work right now is production blasting.”
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ODOT from page 8
ODOT District 10 photo
Several locations on the Athens corridor are assembling excavators and large rock trucks.
Gov. DeWine Announces $24M for Projects at Local Jails
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Director Annette ChambersSmith announced Nov. 24, 2025, that the state will award more than $24 million in grants to support construction and renovation projects at three local jails.
The funding will be awarded through the Ohio Jail Safety and Security Program, which was launched by Gov. DeWine in partnership with the Ohio General Assembly in 2021. The program, which helps local communities fund improvements at functionally obsolete and structurally failing jails, has dedicated more than $230 million in state funding for nearly 70 jail projects, including 25 new or renovated jails
and over three dozen jail security and life safety projects. “Jails are expensive to build and expensive to keep up, so this program helps ease some of the financial burden at the local level,” said DeWine. “This program has already made a major impact at jails across the state by helping create safer environments for those working and residing at these facilities.”
Counties receiving funding include:
• Montgomery County: $13 million to support ongoing jail renovations;
• Stark County: $7.5 million to support ongoing construction of a new jail; and
• Clark County: Approximately $4 million to support land acquisition and design work for a new jail.
“Security is the foundation on which rehabilitation is possible,” said Chambers-Smith. “If we can ensure these jails have their basic needs addressed, they will be able to better change the lives of the people in their care.”
An additional $5 million will be put toward security and safety projects at local jails as needs arise.
Funding for this round of the Ohio Jail Safety and Security Grant Program comes from the existing program budget. The program is administered through the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction’s Bureau of Adult Detention.
U.S. 33 Expansion Will Improve Safety, Access for Drivers
John Coen, ODOT District 10 design engineer, said due to the projected increase in truck traffic and the high number of crashes, it was determined that the additional two lanes of U.S. 33 were needed.
“Based on the traffic counts, pavement design was performed along with the intersection layout. Plans were prepared for the new roadbed, signage, drainage and bridges needed to meet today’s safety standards.
“The two existing lanes of U.S. 33 will become the eastbound lanes of the completed four-lane highway. Joint repair will be completed on the existing concrete pavement and then it will be overlayed with 3.75 in. of asphalt.”
The contractor is excavating with drag pans and excavators, hauling with articulating trucks and large off-road rock trucks. Drills are being used for rock blasting and for a drilled shaft wall at the toe of a slope on the Meigs corridor. They also have several locations on the Athens corridor where they are currently assembling excavators and large rock trucks.
Athens to Darwin work includes roughly 3,643,000 cu. yds. of excavation; close to 3,929,000 cu. yds. of embankment; 51,422 cu. yds. of asphalt; and constructing four interchanges and seven new bridges.
Five Points to Ravenswood construction involves nearly 3,077,000 cu. yds. of excavation; 1,095,000 cu. yds. of embankment; 68,249 cu. yds. of asphalt; and building three new bridges.
Given that the project continues through 2028, it’s difficult to predict how the elements will impact the work still to come. The goal is to stay on schedule as much as possible, and work through any weather delays.
Rittenhouse said that the U.S. 33 expansion project is a perfect example of ODOT’s mission to provide a transportation system that is safe, accessible, well maintained and positioned for the future.
“We look forward to its completion and appreciate the public’s patience over the next few years.”
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