Local State Route to be Closed

Blue Rock, Ohio – Many area state routes are built from trails that were established before the automobile.

Ohio Department of Transportation District 5 Public Information Officer Chas Cosgrave explained how State Route 376 in Gaysport will be closed to modernize a sharp turn for improved safety.

“The State Route 376 project will begin April 21st, with a 60 day closure,” Cosgrave said. “We’re essentially fixing the grade of the slope that leads in the corner of State Route 376. It’s a very narrow area causing a hazard when we have rains, we have a lot of washouts there in the area. So we’re going to be removing a lot of material from that slope, widening the roadway and installing a culvert to make that turn safer for our motoring public.”

Aside from cutting the hillside away from the edge of the roadway for improved visibility and better drainage, the project will widen the roadway to allow for a larger turning radius for commercial vehicles.

“Traffic during that time-frame will be detoured to State Route 60,” Cosgrave said. “During that time-frame it is also worth mentioning that we do have plans in place; we know that this area is prone to flooding. So we do have a plan in place and we are… we’ll be monitoring water levels during that time in the event of an emergency, we can reopen that.”

The State Route 60 roadbed replacement project, which also runs through Gaysport, was completed last fall and is slated for a permanent resurfacing later in the construction season. Temporary lane closures can be expected along State Route 60, between Duncan Falls and the Morgan County line, once the resurfacing begins.