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Question: What is happening along Ohio 13 south of Mansfield? I see crews taking down trees.
MANSFIELD — A forestry project is not underway along Ohio 13 on the city’s south side, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.
ODOT workers based in Richland County are merely clearing the right of way along north and south bound lanes, according to ODOT District 3 public information officer Kaitlyn Thompson.
Work began more than a week ago, according to Thompson, who said the effort is taking place north of Straub Road, moving toward Cook Road. The project has led to temporary one-lane closures as work continues.
“It has become heavily overgrown and the (ODOT) Richland County garage crews are cutting it back so it can be mowed again this summer. This is routine maintenance,” said Thompson, who is based in Ashland County.
There were several locations where the trees were hanging over the edge of the four-lane highway that links Mansfield to Interstate 71 south of the city.
“It makes the road safer. Motorists will not be running off the road and running into trees. It looks nicer and mowing can again be done this summer,” Thompson said.
“The weather we have been having has allowed them to get ahead of the game,” she said, adding that crews have also been working at night on the project.
The local ODOT workers are handling the project themselves, which means it did not need to be bid out for a private contractor.
Work on the northbound lanes finished on Thursday and efforts along the southbound lanes were underway on Friday.
The maintenance project is not associated with a planned $31.9 million project to completely reconstruct Ohio 13 on the city’s south side, Thompson said.
That project will be bid in April, according to ODOT. Construction on the 3.4-mile stretch of state highway will begin in March of 2025 and be complete by August 2026.
The work will be done between Hanley Road on the south and Raleigh Avenue on the north, Neelon said. The project will be done at no cost to the City of Mansfield, using a mix of federal and state funds.
Design work for the project is expected to be $2.9 million with actual construction costs of $28.8 million, according to the ODOT website.
