BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) officially kicked off this year’s highway construction season April 5. Headlined by ODOT Director Jack Marchbanks, the event was held along Interstate 475 at Dorr Street in Toledo, where work continues on a $46.7 million project that began in November 2019. The project is slated for completion this fall.
Joining Marchbanks were ODOT District 2 Deputy Director Pat McColley, Lucas County Engineer Mike Pniewski and Inverness Club President Dr. Gregory Kasper.
Marchbanks noted that in northwest Ohio and throughout the state, projects have largely moved forward, despite the pandemic.
“Thanks to the foresight of Gov. (Mike) DeWine and the Ohio General Assembly and internal operational savings identified by our workforce, we have been able to weather this global pandemic,” Marchbanks said. “Without those extra funds, we would be nearly a billion dollars in the red. While other states have been delaying or canceling projects, Ohio continues moving forward.”
A separate kickoff event for projects occurring in the Lima area was held April 6.
ODOT’s projects include adding a third lane of travel in each direction on a two-mile section of the I-475 and U.S. 23 corridor, constructing a new interchange at Dorr Street, and reconstructing a section of the street.
The I-475 at Dorr Street project figures heavily into Toledo’s hosting of the upcoming Solheim Cup — a trans-Atlantic pro golf competition for women — in September at the Inverness Club, located on Dorr Street just east of the construction.
“The ODOT project is a much-needed conduit for this part of our community. We are so pleased they have agreed to complete this project prior to the Solhiem Cup,” Kasper said. “The innovative and new interchange will create a wonderful introduction of Toledo to an international audience at the tournament this fall.”
Other continuing projects in northwest Ohio include:
- Construction on Interstate 75 in Wood and Lucas counties. Two abutting projects between Buck Road and Dorr Street, totaling $343 million, are under way. Work began in late 2018 and is expected to be completed in 2023.
- Placement of a concrete overlay on the driving surface of the Veterans’ Glass City Skyway bridge in East Toledo. Work began on the $18 million project in March 2020 and is expected to be completed this fall.
- A $21 million project on I-75 from just south of Beaverdam to north of Bluffton. The project includes reconstructing pavement and ramps at the I-75 interchange with State Route 696. Construction began in 2020 and is expected to be completed this summer.
New projects beginning in northwest Ohio this year include:
- Resurfacing of I-75 between Interstate 280 and the Michigan state line in North Toledo. Work will begin in April and be completed this fall.
- Reconstruction of State Route 25 between Cygnet Road and U.S. 6 south of Bowling Green, including Portage. Work will begin in June and be completed in fall 2022.
- Safety project to improve the intersection of U.S. 20 and Reynolds Road and Heatherdowns Boulevard. Work will begin in September and be complete in June 2022.
- Safety project to construct a restricted crossing U-turn at the intersection of Thayer Road and U.S. 30 in Allen County. Cul-de-sacs will be constructed at the Mayberry Road and Cool Road intersections. Work will begin in August and be completed in late fall.
- Safety project to construct cul-de-sacs on Township Road 196 and Township Road 198 where they intersect with State Route 15 in Hancock County. The project will begin in September and wrap up in late fall.
For a complete list of highway construction projects planned for northwest Ohio in 2021, click here. For statewide construction information, click here.
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