NEW DETAILS: All Oakwood Ohio 48 lanes reopening as delayed work pauses

Nick Blizzard, Dayton Daily News, Ohio
·2 min read

Nov. 22—All lanes on Ohio 48 in Oakwood are expected to be open this week during a pause in a sewer project that is behind schedule.

Traffic on the four-lane state route, also known as Far Hills Avenue, for months has been down to one lane in each direction in segments as Oakwood's $2.1 million storm sewer reconstruction project moves forward.

All Ohio 48 lanes are expected to be open by Thanksgiving while the work that has seen several delays is on hold for the holiday weekend while in between phases I and II, project engineer Chris Kuzma said.

While the project is under budget, "we've encountered delays throughout," said Kuzma, noting that many setbacks came while digging and installing pipes.

Kinnison Excavating was awarded the contract. This week's openings are a result of the contractor not wanting "to get into anything more ahead of the holidays and leave it for five to six days," he said. "So, it timed out well where we can open everything up and move on to the next phase."

Starting the week of Dec. 4, Ohio 48 lane closures will resume for the work, which was originally targeted for completion by the end of October, Kuzma said. The project is now expected to be finished in early 2024, he said.

Specifics of the upcoming Far Hills lane closures should be known by early next week, if not before, Kuzma said.

"But there will be a traffic shutdown on Far Hills though," he said. "It will be shifting traffic entirely to one side of the median or the other."

The project involves Far Hills at Greenmount Boulevard; Dellwood from Far Hills to East Schantz Avenue; Forrer Boulevard from Far Hills to East Schantz; and a section of Devereux Drive north of Forrer Road, according to the city.

The work had to be done this year as Ohio 48 in Oakwood is set to be resurfaced next year, city officials have said.

The sewer project involves replacing about 3,050 feet of pipe on several Oakwood roads, including the state route, officials said.

Much of the sewer system in the work zone was installed before the 1950s, officials have said.

Ohio 48 is one of the most traveled roads in the Montgomery County suburbs south of Dayton. It also runs through Kettering, Centerville and Washington Twp.