SOUTH BLOOMFIELD, Ohio — A stretch of freshly laid asphalt on U.S. Route 23 in South Bloomfield had to be ground out and repaved this week after inspectors found it did not meet standards, pushing back the finish date for the village’s long-running roadway project.
UPDATE (Sept. 1, 10:32 a.m.): This story has been updated with additional information from the Village of South Bloomfield.
Village officials said in a Facebook post that the Ohio Department of Transportation and paving contractor Shelley were working to finish laying an intermediate asphalt layer across all lanes of U.S. 23 through town. Once that layer is complete, crews are expected to leave the project until Sept. 8 or 9, depending on the weather, before returning to install the final surface course.
The intermediate layer represents work that had originally been expected to wrap up last fall, according to the village, which said the road already looks “much better” than it did a few weeks ago even with work still to come.
The project hit a setback over the weekend when inspectors found that a section of pavement laid last week — covering part of the inside lane and center turn lane roughly from the Dollar General store south to the end of the project — was insufficient and had to be ground out and corrected, village officials said.
Because of that extra work, and with the Labor Day holiday weekend approaching, ODOT opted not to begin placing the final surface course until crews could be sure of finishing it before the weekend, according to the village. The plan is to complete the intermediate course, pull off the project for several days, then return next week to lay the final layer.
Officials said drivers may notice water pooling along the edges of the newly paved roadway — as much as an inch and a half in spots near the gutter plate — until the final surface course is installed. The village described the standing water as temporary, saying it should be resolved once that last layer goes down.
The paving is the final phase of a wider safety and widening project the village has pursued on U.S. 23 since 2025, which added a center double left-turn lane, relocated utility lines and rebuilt entrances and side streets, including a rehabilitation of Second Street. Most of that work, done by contractor Boss Excavating, was substantially finished before Thanksgiving 2025, with ODOT holding off on the final top-coat paving until warmer weather to avoid exposing the new road base to winter conditions. The project was funded through a mix of state and local money, including grants from the Ohio Public Works Commission, a state Transportation Improvement District grant, a zero-interest loan and an allocation from the state capital budget, according to the village.
Village officials said the corridor should need about another week of work if the weather cooperates, thanking residents “after everything everyone has put up with during this project” and saying they hope the finished road will hold up well for years to come.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office and the Village of South Bloomfield.
