CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — Drivers on North Bridge Street will face a new traffic pattern beginning Tuesday as the Ohio Department of Transportation moves into the next phase of its multi-year safety project along the State Route 159 corridor.
Starting Aug. 25, ODOT crews will begin reconstructing the existing northbound lanes of Bridge Street, according to the agency. To keep two northbound lanes open during that work, northbound traffic will be temporarily shifted onto new concrete pavement that will eventually carry the road’s southbound lanes, allowing crews to rebuild the northbound lanes through the U.S. 35 interchange.
The shift changes how drivers reach several major retailers. Northbound Bridge Street traffic crossing the Scioto River and heading to Shawnee Square, Nourse, Walmart or Kohl’s will need to turn left at Stewart Drive. Traffic leaving those businesses will have to go around the roundabout, pass under the Scioto River bridge and re-enter Bridge Street from Shawnee Square. No traffic will be permitted west of the roundabout during this phase, ODOT said.
“Crews have worked hard to deliver major progress so far this season,” ODOT District 9 Deputy Director Mike Dombrowski said in a statement. “This temporary traffic shift is essential to rebuilding the northbound lanes, and we appreciate everyone’s continued patience as we move closer to the final configuration.”
The ramp from Bridge Street to U.S. 35 east will close until Thanksgiving as crews work on the northbound lanes, according to the release. Drivers leaving the shopping centers south of U.S. 35 who need to reach U.S. 35 east should instead take Bridge Street south to East Main Street, then head east on Main Street to U.S. 35. Traffic north of U.S. 35 headed the same direction should continue north on Bridge Street to the U.S. 23 interchange and take U.S. 23 south to reach U.S. 35 east.
To offset the closed ramp, ODOT is opening a second lane on the exit ramp from U.S. 35 east to Bridge Street, which the agency said computer modeling shows will ease backups from reaching U.S. 35 east. That change will also allow the ramp from High Street/SR 104 to U.S. 35 east to reopen.
Drivers heading west on U.S. 35 from northbound Bridge Street will need to move into the left lane and use a temporary ramp that merges into the existing U.S. 35 west entrance ramp from southbound Bridge Street; ODOT said northbound traffic entering U.S. 35 west must yield to southbound traffic already entering that ramp. Southbound Bridge Street traffic will see no changes and will continue to enter U.S. 35 west south of North Plaza Boulevard.
ODOT said the project remains on schedule to have all lanes reopened in their final configuration by Thanksgiving, with only limited, less disruptive work remaining in spring 2027. The safety overhaul has reshaped traffic patterns along the corridor for more than a year, including a major closure and detour that began in March, and it has drawn concern from nearby business owners about the project’s impact on their customers.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Ohio Department of Transportation.
