Originally published July 11, 2024
BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio (River News Network) – Motorists in eastern Belmont County may have been puzzled recently about which road to take with the closing of two bridges.
In the Blaine area, both the Barton-Blaine Bridge and the westbound lane of the Blaine Hill Bridge are closed.
The Barton-Blaine Bridge was totally replaced and will reopen July 19, according to an official with the Belmont County Engineers department.
Also, ODOT closed the U.S. 40 westbound lane of the Blaine Hill Bridge suddenly last week “Out of an abundance of caution” for emergency repairs, according to the ODOT website.O
Route 40 eastbound is open but traffic patterns may change.
Local residents asked if a temporary traffic light could be installed to allow traffic to flow both eastbound and westbound. ODOT says that is not an option.
ODOT has thoroughly considered using temporary traffic signals in this area. However, we chose not to signal traffic across the bridge due to the risk of eastbound traffic backing up on the hill and potentially causing a safety hazard.
Lauren Borell, Public Information Officer
ODOT District 11
Borell says, “ODOT is actively developing plans for both a temporary and long-term fix. A timeline for those repairs is not currently available.”
