Busy Chillicothe Pavement – With Bridge Street renovations, what has been accomplished – and will be set for the time being – as the construction season comes to a shopping season pause? And, what is the remaining timetable for the US 23 / 35 renovations?
Matt Bruning, press secretary for ODOT, explained how things are going with the two big projects affecting two major parts of the Chillicothe traffic pattern, on October 17th, 2025. Hear him in his own words in the two parts of the interview video below.
Bridge Street (State Route 159)
Bruning pointed out what has been accomplished to make the commercial center traffic smother and safer:
- All utilities have been relocated and are out of the way
- The Scioto River bridge railing has been painted
- The “Shared Use Path” (for pedestrians) under the bridge and connecting to the floodwall path is completed
- The sidewalk on the east side of the bridge is completed
- Streetlights on the bridge have been replaced
- The Wallmart roundabout was being finished (as of October 17th)
- The retaining wall in front of Kroger McDonald’s is close to completion, needing railing and painting
- The pavement widening and new sidewalk at North Plaza Boulevard and Pawnee Street were wrapping up
To be finished by the holidays:
- Walmart / Norse Auto Mall roundabout
- Marietta Road extension / connector behind Applebees
Bruning said this first construction season should be paused by Thanksgiving, leaving a traffic pattern for Bridge Street with three northbound and two southbound lanes, as well as restored turn lanes.
He said work will restart in the spring. Some orange barrels may remain, and a little work may happen, but the project will be mainly overwintered.
He pointed out that intersection at the north end of the bridge – to Shawnee Square and the Walmart / Norse Auto Mall area – will be set up to have only right turns onto Bridge Street. You may need to circle under the bridge to get out.
Work will will be paused again next winter, he says, and then there will be another half-year to finish up, depending on how things go. Bruning said there are many factors – including weather – so “we’ll see.”
He said they have been making good progress, and the original schedule was to lessen the impact on the holiday shopping season.
US Routes 23 / 35
As for the US 23/35 freeway outside the northeast corner of Chillicothe – between Eastern Avenue and Crouse Chapel Road – Bruning said they were wrapping up work on the northbound side, which required closure of the freeway exit to, and entrance from, East Main Street.
He said that will be wrapped up, then after two weeks, there will be a reverse closure with reversed onramp / offramp redirects. (Bruning insisted that the statistics really show there is not much of a delay.)
This project will not be paused, and will be completed this fall/winter. From ODOT’s webpage on the project:
Beginning Wednesday, November 5, the southbound exit and entrance ramps at East Main Street will close for 45 days. This will allow the contractor to work on the right lane of the highway and bridges over East Main Street and the Scioto River.
Traffic looking to enter southbound U.S. 23 or eastbound U.S. 35 from East Main Street/Charleston Pike can detour by entering northbound U.S. 23, exiting at S.R. 159, and re-entering southbound U.S. 23. This detour will add less than 10 minutes of travel time.
Learn more:
- “OhGo” Real-time traffic and construction website an app. It has access to traffic cameras video, including about a dozen in the Chillicothe area.
- Detailed information about the Bridge Street project.
- Detailed information about the US 23/35 rehabilitation.
- Facebook page for ODOT District 9 (Ross and counties west).
Bruning reminds drivers that these are active work zones…and that highway workers have been hit 90 times this year so far – though there were 84 all of last year.
