WILMINGTON – The long-anticipated improvements along the Rombach Avenue corridor will be underway next week, with lane closures beginning the evening of Thursday, June 3, the City of Wilmington announced.
The Rombach Avenue Improvements Project is nearly three miles long. The project begins at the intersection of Fife Avenue and Rombach Avenue and terminates at the eastern corporation limit at Starbuck Road. Improvements to East Side Drive are part of the project as well.
The project was originally slated for last year, but COVID-19 resulted in its postponement to 2021.
The construction is planned in multiple phases. The first phase of the project includes water main construction, minor storm sewer repairs, construction of a shared-use path, pavement repair, improvements to the turn radius at Lowe’s Drive, loon (traffic turnaround) construction at the intersection of Progress Way, and signal work.
Motorists should expect lane closures and lane shifts beginning on June 3 and ending late this year.
The first phase will require lane closures starting where East Side Drive meets Rombach Avenue and ending near the traffic signal at 2829 Rombach (NCB Bank/Skyline/Walmart Drive).
During this first phase, the eastbound right travel lane and the westbound right travel lane will be closed. The closures will be done with drums. One lane of eastbound traffic, one lane of westbound traffic, and the two-way left turning lane in the middle will be maintained.
In addition, there will be water main construction from the intersection of Oak Street/Rombach Avenue westward to the intersection of Fife/Rombach (near the triangle at 647 Fife Avenue (First Financial Bank). No lane closures are anticipated at this time; however, westbound traffic flow may be impacted at times and motorists should be aware that construction will be occurring adjacent to Rombach Avenue.
The construction of this project will be managed by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). The John R. Jurgensen Company has been awarded the construction contract and will be performing the work.
The Rombach Avenue Improvements Project is funded through a combination of federal money in the form of a safety grant with the Highway Safety Improvement Program, the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Urban Paving Program, both a grant and financing from a zero-percent infrastructure loan funded through Round 34 of the Ohio Public Works Commission, and local dollars.
The City of Wilmington asks that all motorists be patient, reduce speed, and exercise added caution when traveling near this work zone.
Information regarding this and other city projects can be found on the City of Wilmington website at https://wilmingtonoh.org/municipal-services/city-projects/ .
Questions regarding the Rombach Avenue Improvements Project may be directed to the Ohio Department of Transportation, District 8, at 513-933-6758 or to the Director of Public Service at 937-382-6509.
