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Alkire Road/railroad overpass project to begin in March
(by Sean Lehosit, staff writer - February 21, 2011)
Residents and motorists are being alerted to a new road project, which will close a portion of Alkire Road, from Harrisburg Pike to Creekside Drive, for a majority of 2011.
The reconstruction of the Alkire Road/Railroad Overpass is set to begin in March and will cost $6.1 million to complete.
Funded through the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) and the Ohio Public Works Commission, this reconstruction project is supervised by the Franklin County Engineer’s Office. Additionally, the county has contracted Shelly & Sands, Inc. to do the work.
“They plan on closing Alkire Road down at 9 a.m. on March 14,” Franklin Township Road Supervisor Jim Stevens said. “That road will be closed down until possibly around December of this year – late November, first of December.”
According to Stevens, the project will not only widen the lanes to better accommodate drivers, but the railroad overpass, originally built in 1902, will be replaced. A bike lane and partial sidewalk will also be added.
“It’s going to have the two lanes separated with like a turn lane, (and) it’s going to have a bike path,” Stevens said.
Stevens added the county will also rent a temporary bridge during the project. While the site needs to be excavated to allow the contractor to bring in their beams and trucks, the railroad tracks must maintain the same elevation – which requires bringing in a temporary bridge to do so.
Detours for eastbound motorists will follow Demorest Road, north to Clime Road, east to Harrisburg Pike, and south to Alkire Road. Vehicles traveling westbound will be required to follow the detour in its opposite direction.
Stevens said the project could be a headache for motorists because of all the construction happening within the township, but drivers should prepare to run into construction in any direction they go – so to plan ahead.
“Just bear with them. When everything’s done, it’ll be nice,” Stevens said.
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