When a city of Toledo contractor began rebuilding the inbound Anthony Wayne Trail last fall, a lane closing on the inbound side did not start until after the Detroit Avenue intersection atop the Ohio Turnpike.
The area is between the Chessie Circle Trail underpass and Glendale Avenue. But when work resumed last month, the work-zone traffic pattern started alongside Parkway Plaza in Maumee. This work narrowed inbound traffic to a single lane before the Detroit intersection, which at times significantly reduces the number of vehicles that get through the light on each green.
I asked Gary Stookey, a senior city of Toledo engineer, about this change during the Transportation Summit on Friday. The right lane needs to be closed between Detroit and the Chessie Circle because the contractor will be building a leg of the Trail’s bicycle-pedestrian path in that area during the springtime construction, he said.
It will connect to a similar pathway the city of Maumee is building along the Trail south of Detroit, along with its own work on the roadway itself.
Expect to get tagged for at least a second green, if not longer, when traveling the inbound Trail in this area during busier travel hours until Toledo’s project is done this summer.
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The Ohio Department of Transportation told me, meanwhile, that lane closings are likely on a weekend or two on southbound I-475/U.S. 23 at the same bridge over Monclova Road where pavement failure near a bridge joint shut northbound traffic down for about a day early last week.
The same problem also exists on the southbound half of the bridge, but not as severely, so for now at least ODOT expects to do it on a scheduled basis rather than an emergency.
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The Ohio Turnpike announced its 2023 construction plans last week, and once again they include a single-lane headache for motorists on the toll road’s far western end.
In two phases this year, a turnpike contractor will rebuild the pavement between the Indiana border and the existing Westgate toll plaza. This work will restrict traffic to one lane each way, first using the eastbound lanes and then the westbound.
Major delays are likely in this area throughout the construction season and especially during the Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day weekends. The work is slated for completion in November.
The turnpike also has scheduled full-depth pavement repairs for a 13-mile stretch east of the Bryan interchange starting in May. All work is scheduled to occur at night, when traffic will be reduced to one lane for up to four miles at a time and will be followed by resurfacing next year.
A slope repair, meanwhile, is expected to close the eastbound right lane approaching the I-75 interchange in Wood County from June until November, while lane closings will occur near a bridge over State Rt. 510, east of the Fremont interchange in Sandusky County, while that bridge is repaired and a neighboring bridge over an abandoned railroad is removed.
The turnpike has three lanes each way at those sites, however, so the lane closings will not cause as much congestion.
Look out as well for minor delays at the U.S. 250 interchange near Milan, Ohio while the toll plaza ramps are resurfaced. Temporary signals will govern alternating traffic on-ramp bridges.
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• I-75: Reduced to two lanes each way between Wales and the Anthony Wayne Trail for reconstruction and replacement of the DiSalle Bridge.
• I-75 (Mich.): Lane closings, Exit 5 (Erie) to north of Exit 9 (LaSalle), for roadway reconstruction. Northbound traffic has been crossed over to one half of the southbound side to start reconstruction of the northbound lanes.
• I-475/U.S. 23: No shoulders and traffic is shifted between U.S. 24 (Exit 4) and Angola Road for reconstruction and widening. The ramp from westbound U.S. 24 to northbound I-475/U.S. 23 is closed long-term, with a detour posted using other ramps in the interchange. The Salisbury/Dussel entrance will be closed Monday and Wednesday nights from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. to prepare for a traffic shift associated with ramp reconstruction.
• State Rt. 25 (Anthony Wayne Trail): Reduced to one lane each way between Glendale and the Ohio Turnpike (Toledo-Maumee border) for reconstruction.
• State Rt. 25/U.S. 24 (Anthony Wayne Trail): Nighttime detours and daytime lane closings, Key to Conant, this week. Lane closings are planned over the entire stretch between Monclova Road and Detroit Avenue for resurfacing.
• U.S. 24: Reduced to one lane westbound from I-475 to the Henry County line this week for shoulder and drainage work. Work could shift to the eastbound side late in the week.
• U.S. 20A: Waterline work just east of U.S. 127 in West Unity, Ohio will close the route this week and next. Detour via U.S. 127, U.S. 20, and State Rt. 66.
• State Rt. 2 (Airport), Byrne Road: Lane closings at Airport and Byrne during intersection widening.
• Secor Road: Closed to through traffic between Bancroft and Dorr for replacement of a bridge over the Ottawa River. Use Douglas Road instead.
• State Rt. 120 (Central): Closed to through traffic between Reynolds (U.S. 20) and Corey for replacement of a bridge over the Ottawa River. A posted detour uses Central, I-475 and Secor. Corey is also suitable for passenger vehicles.
• State Rt. 25: Northbound lanes are closed between Cygnet Road and U.S. 6 in Wood County for reconstruction. A single lane is maintained southbound for local access.
• Sylvania Avenue: Waterline work will require a lane closing this week, westbound only, between Forestlawn and Corey roads.
• Brint, Centennial roads: Closed at their intersection for 45 days, starting Monday, for roundabout construction. Brint will be detoured to Sylvania Avenue and Centennial will be detoured to Mitchaw Road.
• Monroe Street (Sylvania): Eastbound lane closed, as is Silica Drive, at and near the Silica intersection for intersection reconstruction and widening.
First Published April 2, 2023, 8:23 p.m.
