The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) recently finished its work on the 435 bypass at Interstate 71, a project which cost around $10.5 million.
This year ODOT started and completed work on the 435 bypass to repair the lanes, among other improvements. Not only was all of the concrete paving replaced on both the east and west bound lanes, but both lanes also received new drainage. The result is a smooth, gray road wide enough for a couple lanes of traffic going both directions through the area and several turn lanes to help traffic flow.
“We worked with ODOT a little bit on the project,” Fayette County Engineer Steve Luebbe said. “We are glad to have the project completed and the update was much needed. The project manager for ODOT, she is actually a Fayette County girl, did an outstanding job I thought. We had a good contractor too, but she really put in some great work. Currently there is nothing scheduled for large projects in the area from ODOT, but we would love to partner with them again for some updates to the mega-site. That is yet to be determined.”
During the project, the roadways of 435 were congested and ODOT even circulated a letter to area businesses to explain that they should allow extra time when traveling in the area. Around June, the second portion of construction began and motorists were able to drive on the newly-paved eastbound lane.
In September, ODOT began resurfacing the two-lane section of State Route 435 between US 35 and State Route 729, a section they said would be finished at the end of October. Originally, ODOT said the entire construction project would be finished by Thanksgiving, but as the year progressed crews sped up and finished Oct. 27.
“One of the successes of this project was the cooperation and partnership between ODOT, the outlet mall, county commissioners, the Fayette County Engineer and the contractor, Great Lakes Construction, as well as the sub-contractors,” Nancy Burton, public information officer for ODOT District 6, said. “All of the concrete was provided by a Fayette County company, Wells Concrete, which provided 15,000 cubic yards of concrete for the project. Utilizing the resources of a local business made a good ODOT project even better. The Ohio Concrete Association also awarded ODOT with the 2017 Project of the Year Award for the design of the project. ODOT is pleased with the support and patience we received from the motoring public and stakeholders during all phases of construction.”
Burton also said that drivers should take note that the paint used for the lane lines currently on the road is not permanent. The lane lines will be painted next year when weather and temperatures are more conducive.
Kristen Hauer, Tanger Outlets Jeffersonville general manager, said they did not have traffic issues for Black Friday.
“We are thrilled that our shoppers will now have an improved experience traveling to and from Tanger Outlets just in time for the busy holiday season,” Hauer said. “Our Thanksgiving weekend event went off successfully without any traffic issues, despite a high volume of shoppers.”
