Striping to impact Bridge Street traffic next week

CHILLICOTHE - On Tuesday, November 18, crews will begin re-striping North Bridge Street in Chillicothe between North Plaza Boulevard and the Chillicothe Mall/Zane Plaza entrance. This will put the roadway into a configuration that will allow more traffic capacity ahead of the busy holiday season.

"When we first announced this transformative improvement project, we promised to pause construction and get out of the way by Thanksgiving," said Ohio Department of Transportation District 9 Deputy Director Mike Dombrowski. "We have worked with our contractor, Complete General, to meet this goal. We appreciate everyone's patience during this first year of the project."

Unfortunately, painting pavement markings can only be done when conditions are above 40 degrees. This means the work must be done during the day and cannot be completed at night. Motorists should expect delays and lane closures while crews perform this necessary operation. Alternate routes include SR 104/SR 207 and U.S. 23. Weather permitting, the work should be completed by the end of next week.

Once the re-striping is complete, there will be an additional northbound lane through the corridor for a total of three lanes in both directions. All turn lanes will also be open. The connector from Marietta Road to North Plaza Boulevard will open. The roundabout on Consumer Center Drive will be fully functional helping to improve traffic flow to and from the shopping center that includes Kohl's and Walmart.

"While things are opening, the project is not yet complete, and we do expect there to continue to be some delays. However, North Bridge Street should operate much better than it did over the summer," Dombrowski added.

Motorists are reminded to not enter signalized intersections until they can safely clear the intersection. Blocking intersections will cause additional delays along this busy corridor.

Work on the next phase of the project is expected to begin in early 2026 with all work scheduled for completion in 2027.