Martinsville plans Ohio Street closures to add sidewalks, update storm drains

Keith Rhoades
·3 min read
The view looking north on Ohio Street from Gray Street. Barricades on the left side of the intersection will be used to close the street.
The view looking north on Ohio Street from Gray Street. Barricades on the left side of the intersection will be used to close the street.

Residents of Martinsville will have to contend with another round of detours later this month as the city plans to close a section of South Ohio Street.

City superintendent Mac Dunn said Milestone has been awarded the contract, worth $5.7 million, to do the work. The work will begin just south of the intersection of Prospect and Ohio streets and continue south on Ohio Street to just north of the interstate.

Since Ohio Street is one of the main access points for the city, Dunn said the city is trying to minimize the effect construction will have on residents and the school system.

He said current plans are to close Ohio Street sometime after Jan. 23 from just north of the Gray/Ohio Street intersection to just south of the Prospect/Ohio Street intersection.

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Also closed will be the Garfield Avenue/Ohio Street intersection. The closure will affect Mahalasville Road and Circle Street.

The building on the northside of Garfield Avenue will be removed and the intersection will be replaced with a round-a-bout. Dunn said city officials hope to have that intersection finished by the end of the school year.

Dunn said once that intersection is complete, work will move south to the intersection of Ohio/South Street. Once it is finished, he said work will move to the intersection of Ohio Street and Poston Road.

Dunn said once the intersections are finished, work will move to the sections of streets running between the intersections.

He said if all goes as planned, work should be completed by the end of 2023 or early 2024.

The work will complement last year's construction on South Street. That street was completely rebuilt from Home Avenue to Ohio Street.

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Dunn said the work will include improvements to the storm drainage system, the addition of sidewalks, and improvements to the street.

The funding, he said, comes from an 80/20 grant from the state/federal government. The city's part, around $1.4 million, comes from the city's redevelopment commission which is using tax money from the city's tax increment financing districts.

Dunn asked people to be patient with the city as work goes on. He said since the interstate was finished, there are several businesses looking at the Ohio Street area to develop.

More paving work

Dunn said for 2023, the city is planning to resurface around seven miles of streets. In addition, he said the state is planning to resurface around 5 and a half miles of roads in Martinsville.

The state will resurface Morgan Street from the Ind. 39 bypass east to the Lutheran Church. Main Street will be resurfaced from Morgan Street south to Morton Avenue. Morton Avenue will be resurfaced from Main Street to the Ind. 39 bypass.

Dunn said the state will resurface Southview Drive between Mahalasville Road and Burton Lane. The homes on Southview Drive were destroyed by the 2008 flood. The government purchased the land and placed heavy restrictions on future uses. Dunn said there are plans to turn the area into a park.

This article originally appeared on The Reporter Times: Martinsville construction to close Ohio Street in 2023