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Who's Excited For Road Construction Season?

Tana Weingartner
/
WVXU
These kids have a message, "slow down, our mommy works here!"

Show of hands, who's excited to see those beautiful orange barrels rolling out on Tristate highways and byways?

Okay, no one enjoys construction delays, but they're a necessary part of life.

Ohio

The Ohio Department of Transportation plans to spend $2.3 billion on road and bridge projects statewide this year. That includes nearly 7,000 miles of roadway and almost 1,300 bridges.

Funding will go toward testing variable speed limits in three cities, including Cincinnati. ODOT will install speed limit signs along parts of I-275 that will allow operators to adjust the posted limit based on traffic flow and weather conditions.

Other projects include completing the new I-71 and Martin Luther King Drive interchange; beginning work on I-75 between Shepard Lane and Glendale-Milford; and converting the existing Western Row Interchange with I-71 into a full interchange.

Kentucky

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Spokeswoman Nancy Wood says there are approximately $120 million worth of projects planned in Northern Kentucky. Road widening, preventive maintenance and realignment projects account for a lot of the work.

Work on the Brent Spence Bridge could have the biggest affect on local drivers. Crews will be resurfacing both decks of the Brent Spence Bridge. Wood says the bridge won't be closed for the work, but it will be an active work zone.

"Once we have more details on that we'll inform everybody what the plan is," says Wood. "We're replacing the bridge decks, doing some drainage work, and a lot of different maintenance needs on that structure."

If your summer vacation plans call for heading to Norris Lake, Lake Cumberland, the Great Smoky Mountains, or the beach, you'll want to plan ahead and expect delays. Construction crews are widening part of I-75 in both directions near Berea, Ky.

Indiana

Work is slated to begin in April on a $5.6 million project to replace twin three-span bridges on I-70 both directions in Wayne County near Richmond, In. It's expected to last about a year.

In Richmond, construction is already underway on a nearly $24 million rebuild of nearly two miles of southbound U.S. 27 and nearly one mile of eastbound U.S. 40.

Senior Editor and reporter at WVXU with more than 20 years experience in public radio; formerly news and public affairs producer with WMUB. Would really like to meet your dog.