Displaying items by tag: Justin Chesnic

On the Tuesday edition of the Jasen Sokol Show Podcast:

Dr. Karl Kaltenthaler from the University of Akron spoke with Jasen about Russia and politics (16.1 seconds) 

Justin Chesnic of ODOT spoke about the Howe Avenue construction project (15;47) 

The orange barrels have been out this summer around Summit County, but your commute might get a little trickier on Tuesday morning with nearly several three-month long ramp closures around the Central Interchange in Akron.

The Ohio Department of Transportation is working on several bridge removal projects over Spicer and Johnston streets that require them to close the ramps from I-77 north to I-76 west, Rt. 8 south to I-76 west and I-76 east to I-77 south.

ODOT District 4 spokesman Justin Chesnic said there two major reasons for the bridge removals including the cost of maintenance and planning for future projects.

"Coming down the line we're going to have a pretty big project there at the Central Interchange where we're actually redoing some ramps, some bridges and certain things there," said Chesnic. "That's going to be around 2020. So in about 3-4 years down the line we're going to be doing that. It's much easier to work around pavement than it is bridges."

While the adjustemnt of teh new commute around the Central Interchange will take some days to get used to, Chesnic says they are prepared. Crews have spent time working to re-stripe the Kenmore Leg and surrounding areas to add an additional lane for drivers who will be moving around the closures.

"We've re-striped the Kenmore Leg to three lanes of traffic in each direction. A lot of those key access points at the northern end and the southern end of the Kenmore Leg have been restriped to two lanes. So, in essence, that should really help traffic flow through there a lot better."

The ramp closures are expected to last around three months (about 110 days). 

There are several other closures and lane restrictions that are expected to take place around Summit County this week. "Do The Detour"

ODOT has also updated their "Do The Detour" website to provide the best routes to get around the closures.