Crews working on Chillicothe's Bridge Street overhaul have poured fresh sections of southbound lanes near the U.S. 35 interchange and built a temporary ramp connecting northbound Bridge Street to westbound U.S. 35, marking fresh visible progress on a project that has reshaped the city's busiest commercial corridor for more than a year. The work also included removing the slope beneath the U.S. 35 overpass just east of Bridge Street, a step planners say clears the way for a new retaining wall, a replacement storm sewer, and a shared-use path.
The updates come from photos and details shared by the Ohio Department of Transportation Southern Ohio District 9 on Thursday, which show crews pouring curb and gutter sections south of U.S. 35 and laying sidewalk between U.S. 35 and Marietta Road. The temporary ramp will be used to remove and rebuild the existing northbound lanes of Bridge Street, while northbound traffic in the meantime is running on what will eventually become the southbound lanes through the U.S. 35 interchange. Project planners say they are working toward temporarily flipping northbound traffic onto the newly poured concrete pavement, a milestone that would mark a significant shift in how drivers move through the corridor.
Businesses Along the Corridor Stay Open Through the Work
Despite the ongoing lane shuffling and heavy equipment along the strip, businesses along the Bridge Street corridor remain open and accessible, according to the district's update. That access has been a deliberate design choice: state transportation planners built the construction sequencing to preserve continuous vehicle access to adjacent businesses and to keep key turn lanes intact at high-traffic intersections like River Trace Lane and Consumer Center Drive, as reported by Scioto Post.
That balancing act sits at the heart of the entire project. Crews are handling heavy structural work — sewer replacement, retaining wall construction, slope removal, and lane repaving — while trying to keep Chillicothe's primary retail artery functioning for shoppers and merchants alike, per ODOT's own project materials. The department's plans also call for work to begin next on the east side of the project area as the corridor construction continues to move forward.
A Multi-Year, $19.29 Million Overhaul
The State Route 159 Safety Improvements Project, tracked under state project ID 113013, covers the Bridge Street commercial corridor between Riverside Street and the Chillicothe Mall in Ross County, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation. ODOT estimates the total construction cost at $19.29 million, with final completion targeted for summer 2027 after initial roadwork began in spring 2025. The project ranks as the largest urban highway reconstruction effort in Ross County.
The scale of the investment traces back to traffic data showing more than 43,500 vehicles a day moving through the corridor as of 2017 counts, according to state figures, which generated chronic congestion and above-average crash rates that prompted the safety initiative. The finished design calls for an added northbound through lane, reconfigured southbound lane use, new traffic signals, pocket parks, and extended multi-use pedestrian paths reaching the Chillicothe Mall.
Southbound Lanes Have Been Closed Since March
Beginning in mid-March, ODOT implemented an eight-to-nine-month closure of all southbound SR 159 lanes from North Plaza Boulevard to Stewart Road, detouring southbound traffic onto westbound U.S. 35, as detailed by the Scioto Valley Guardian. That closure followed a first construction year in 2025 that delivered several preliminary milestones, including completed utility relocations, lighting and sidewalk upgrades on the Scioto River bridge, a new roundabout at Stewart Road, and a connector road linking North Plaza Boulevard and Marietta Road.
The department has structured the multi-year build into seasonal phases, pausing heavy construction each winter before Thanksgiving to reduce disruption during the holiday shopping season. Hoodline previously reported on a temporary re-striping that added an extra northbound lane on North Bridge Street starting November 18, 2025, to ease gridlock during that peak shopping stretch.
Federal Oversight and Regional Detours
Environmental review and legal compliance for the project fall under ODOT's authority pursuant to federal statute and a May 8 memorandum of understanding with the Federal Highway Administration, according to the department's project documentation. That framework allows the state to streamline federal approvals as construction advances.
Bridge Street's work is also unfolding alongside other major Ross County infrastructure projects this year, including a $7.32 million bridge replacement on County Road 222, also known as Charleston Pike, which ODOT expects to finish in fall 2026. Motorists navigating the region should expect to encounter multiple active construction zones at once as crews juggle both projects. Project organizers direct drivers seeking travel scenarios, frequently asked questions, and further details to transportation.ohio.gov/bridgestreet.
