BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio – On Monday’s Dimitri! Live & Dangerously Local!™️host Dimitri Vassilaros questioned Lauren Borrell, Public Information Officer for ODOT District 11, about why work on the Blaine Hill Bridge won’t start until 2027.
The new name for the project is the U.S. Route 40 Blaine Hill Arches of Memory Rehabilitation.
Borrell says the Blaine Hill Bridge had about 7,500 vehicles traveling across it along U.S. Route 40 before ODOT closed it in early August. The closure is a traffic nightmare for Belmont County residents.
Borrell said the Blaine Hill Bridge was originally constructed in 1932 and is a registered, historical bridge. ODOT’s goal is to preserve the historical value of the bridge when they rehabilitate it. She said ODOT has continued to maintain the bridge over the years. She called it a “massive bridge” which is more than 700 feet long with steel arches.
In 2012, ODOT did a minor rehabilitation on the bridge and inspects it every year, even though federal requirements are every two years. Borrell said ODOT was planning a project to rehabilitate the bridge in 2030. But during the early inspection in 2023, engineers began to see signs of rapid deterioration. She calls the deterioration “completely unexpected.”
Borrell says ODOT plans to begin work on the bridge in January 2027.
She explained the reason for the delay is a need for planning and environmental studies. She also explained that it is critical that ODOT does every step of the bridge rehab correctly.
it’s very critical for every project that we follow, this project development process, which is the planning, preliminary engineering, environmental engineering, and then, of course, the final engineering instruction is all included in that. And as I said, this is a very big bridge. It’s about 700 feet long, and a lot of steel under there that has to be read.
Lauren Borrell, Public Information Officer for ODOT District 11
Borrell said ODOT must also consider how bridge construction will affect the waterway and animal species under the bridge, specifically bats, which are a federally-protected species. Borrell said these studies take quite a bit of time.
ODOT will also hold a public comment session on bridge construction at a date to be announced.
For more information and project updates, visit the ODOT website here.
ODOT District 11 covers Belmont, Jefferson, Harrison, Carroll, Columbiana, Tuscarawas and Holmes counties.
Listen to Dimitri LIVE on River Talk 1290 AM, 100.1 FM, 100.9 FM, and 1430 AM from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Download the River Network app and click River Talk. Encore presentations Thursday, Friday and Saturday on the app.
A River Network production.
You can also watch livestreams of Dimitri’s show on X.
