BELLVILLE — Road construction will cause the closure of the Ohio 13 bridge over the Clear Fork in Bellville starting on March 29. Traffic will be rerouted for approximately three weeks.
Motorists traveling through southern Richland County will soon encounter road construction along Ohio 97 at I-71 and paving on Ohio 13. A storm sewer project will take place in Bellville prior to paving on Ohio 13.
Road to be widened at I-71 and Ohio 97
State Route 97 will be widened to include a center turn-lane from Kocheiser Road west of I-71 to Alexander Road. Construction is expected to begin “by April 1, if not soonerm” said Larry Weirich, Village Administrator in Bellville.
Efforts to move utilities are currently underway to make way for the road widening project, which is expected to be completed by Sept. 30. Officials said that traffic will be maintained along Ohio 97 and access to and from I-71 at exit 165 throughout the project.
Mountaineer Construction of West Virginia serves as the general contractor for the Ohio 97 project. Local sub contractors will include Kokosing. Weirich said the widening is expected to alleviate traffic congestion near the existing businesses around the I-71 off-ramp.
The project came as a recommendation following a safety study focused on the intersection of Ohio 97 and I-71. The study was funded by both merchants in that area and the Village of Bellville.
Originally the project called for a shorter length of center turn lane on the east side of the Interstate. However, Bellville Mayor Darrell Banks said Ashland ODOT intervened and the project was lengthened.
Paving on Ohio 13
Paving is expected to begin by early May along a 6.4-mile stretch of Ohio 13 south of Mansfield. The work will take place between Hanley Road and Hillview Drive in Bellville. The state paving project will begin with milling the existing road surface followed by pavement repairs and then asphalt, Weirich said.
Meanwhile, Bellville will be installing new storm drain catch basins along Church and Main Streets, which form the intersection of Ohio 97 and Ohio 13. In the past, heavy rains created standing water in the roadway affecting both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Officials hope the catch basins in the curb will alleviate the problem.
On March 1, Bellville awarded the contract for installing catch basins to local contractor Terra Valley, the low bid on the project. Weirich said the project will begin soon but no date has been announced.
However, he noted “the work needs to be completed before the state paves Route 13.”
A one-day closure is expected for Church Street. Traffic will be directed around the affected area on a route similar to the one used for the street fair, Weirich added.
Ohio 13 bridge to be closed for 3 weeks
Traffic through Bellville on both Ohio 13 and Ohio 97 as ODOT is closing the Ohio 13 bridge for structural repairs. Work could result in the bridge being closed for up to three weeks, said Weirich.
Signs announcing the closure have been posted.
Both Ohio 13 and 97 will remain open to Bellville. Officially, the state detour during the bridge closure will be from Ohio 13 North to I-71 via Ohio 97.
In the past this created confusion for motorists due to detour signs along I-71. Local traffic will have access to the village throughout all the construction and paving projects.
