I-75 rebuild on schedule

LIMA — Phase 1 of the Interstate 75 reconstruction becomes a little more visible this week — and more of an inconvenience.Reservoir Road is closing Tuesday as demolition of the overpass bridge begins. The adjoining Bryn Mawr Road, running parallel to I-75, also will close. Both roads are scheduled to remain closed through late fall. A posted detour takes traffic from Reservoir Road onto state Route 81 and Roush Road back to Reservoir Road.Also, beginning today, lane restrictions are in effect on the interstate, which is Allen County's most traveled highway. The nightly lane closures will occur in the area of Reservoir Road from 7 p.m. until 10 a.m. each day to allow for removal of the existing bridge structure.Lane closures will continue through May during nighttime hours but will occur intermittently as work dictates.About two miles to the south, work continues on the replacement of the Fourth Street bridge, which closed in February. The bridge has been removed and grading is well under way to widen and improve approaches to a new bridge.The Fourth Street entrance ramps to I-75 have remained open, but they'll close May 9 for 30 days to allow for construction of the center pier of the new bridge. Plans call for traffic on I-75 to be maintained in two lanes in each direction, but traffic will be shifted away from the pier area where work is taking place. The exit ramps to Fourth Street will remain open during the entire period. The Fourth Street bridge is expected to remain closed until late fall. A detour is posted on state Route 65, Hanthorn Road and Greely Chapel Road. Truck traffic will be detoured to the state Route 309 and state Route 65 interchanges.The Fourth Street and Reservoir Road bridge replacement projects are Phase 1 of a three-phase project that will reconstruct I-75 from just north of Route 81 to the Auglaize County line. Phases 2 and 3, reconstruction of the mainline of I-75, will begin in 2013 and 2014. The work is scheduled for completion in 2015.The four-year, $156.2 million project is off to a good start — and on schedule, thanks in large part to a warm, dry spring.“Actually, it's right where it's supposed to be,” said Rhonda Pees, public information officer for Ohio Department of Transportation District 1. “According to the project engineer, everything's going as it should at this point. Of course, we have had favorable weather, but we may not always.” ODOT asks drivers to stay alert and use caution in the construction areas.