What to expect with Ohio 16 project in the next couple of months

Leonard L. Hayhurst, Coshocton Tribune
·2 min read

COSHOCTON − Ohio Department of Transportation District 5 expects to move onto the next phase of the Ohio 16 project in the next couple of months and is still on target for total project completion by fall 2024.

The full-depth replacement of the road from the Muskingum County line to Spitler Drive for just under $21 million started in 2022 under contractor Shelly Co. Done was a two-mile section from Ohio 83 to the entrance of Cleveland Cliffs and Township Road 347.

A two-mile stretch from Township Road 347 and the entrance to Cleveland Cliffs to Township Road 288 was finished earlier this summer. Currently, ODOT is working from Township Road 288 to just south of County Road 75, near Ross Trucking. This should be done by the middle of September, said Morgan Overbey, public information officer for ODOT District 5.

The next two-mile stretch tackled will be from Township Road 347 to County Road 6. At least one side of the road should be done this year and possibly both depending on weather, said Overbey. The final stretch next year will be from County Road 6 to Spitler Drive, which is four lanes.

Westbound traffic has been maintained with eastbound traffic diverted at Dresden to Ohio 60 and then Ohio 541, intersecting with Ohio 16 at the Three Rivers Memorial Bridge. Both sides of the road will be open this winter after the work season ends.

Overbey said a slight alteration to the detour will happen when they get to part B of the Township Road 347 to County Road 6 section with eastbound traffic being maintained, not westbound. Westbound traffic will be diverted at the bridge. This would be about six weeks. Both directions of travel will be possible during the final phase of work since it's four lanes, Overbey said.

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: What to expect with Ohio 16 project: Next phase due to begin soon