SOUTH BLOOMFIELD, Ohio — Paving crews are scheduled to begin resurfacing U.S. Route 23 through South Bloomfield on Thursday morning, the start of a project the village says could take one to two weeks and slow traffic through the Pickaway County community.
The Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post that the village had announced the start date and asked drivers to plan ahead, use caution and watch for construction crews in the area while the work is underway.
The paving is expected to be the final phase of a longer safety and widening project the village has pursued on U.S. 23 since 2025. That project added a center double left-turn lane through town, relocated utility lines and rebuilt entrances and side streets, including a rehabilitation of Second Street, according to project updates posted by the village. 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.
Village officials have called the U.S. 23 project the biggest change to the roadway through South Bloomfield in decades. The work 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.
The corridor has drawn increased attention from residents this year. Earlier this month, village officials said a reduced speed limit through South Bloomfield was unlikely despite resident requests following a fatal crash on the highway this summer, noting that the state, not the village, controls decisions on the U.S. 23 speed limit.
The sheriff’s office urged motorists to be attentive near the work zone as crews lay new pavement.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office.
