Northbound Ohio 72 in Greene County will close to traffic starting in March
Preliminary work for a road widening project on Ohio 72 in Greene County begins this week, with full construction operations slated to begin in March.
The project involves repaving and slightly widening the road between the U.S. 35 interchange and Turnbull Road, near the Cedarville corporation limit. The entire project calls for repairing pavement, widening the shoulder in various sections, replacing a box culvert, rehabilitating a culvert and a bridge, and resurfacing within the 5.78-mile corridor, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.
The first phase of construction is scheduled to begin March 6, and traffic will be maintained by flaggers from approximately 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day. S.R. 72 will be closed to northbound traffic for the rest of the construction season, ODOT said, and currently, the closure is expected to start in early April.
Widening the lanes allows for installation of edge and centerline rumble stripes. This will improve the pavement, as well as improving safety along this stretch of SR 72, Greene County Engineer Stephanie Goff said.
“This stretch of state Route 72 is narrow and is known for issues with trucks overturning their vehicles, etc.,” Goff said. “It’s a two-year project and we are excited to see the project starting in Greene County this year.”
Motorists will be detoured by way of U.S. 35 and U.S. 42 at Xenia while S.R. 72 North is closed, and local detour will also be maintained, according to ODOT. Southbound traffic will be maintained with flaggers as needed throughout construction.
ODOT contractors began prep work for the project Monday.
Fillmore Construction was awarded a contract for approximately $12.6 million to complete the project, and all work is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2024.
Two bridges over the Little Miami River on S.R. 72 are also currently under construction. The bridges, located between Clifton Road and Water Street in the village of Clifton, are getting some concrete patching, bridge railing upgrades and repairs, and asphalt deck overlays. ODOT contractors are also repairing pavement and resurfacing S.R. 72 from just north of Turnbull Road in Cedarville to the Clark County line.
Barrett Paving Material, Inc. was awarded a contract for approximately $2.96 million to complete the project, and all work is scheduled to be completed by the end of summer this year.
For more information, visit www.ohgo.com.