The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the four-year, $50 million Interstate 70 reconstruction project in Clark County.
The project added a third lane in each direction between U.S. Route 68 and State Route 72. This was the second of two phases. Phase one completed in 2015 and added a third lane between Enon and U.S. 68.
Other work included replacing pavement and seven bridges, cable barriers in the median, improved drainage, and noise-reduction walls.
The project is expected to make travel safer and more reliable. Prior to work beginning, the highway went from two to three lanes, causing bottlenecks.
Approximately 70,000 vehicles travel that stretch of I-70 daily. By 2033, traffic volumes are expected to increase 40 percent.
“The last few years have taught us a lot about the importance of an unhindered supply chain,” ODOT Director Jack Marchbanks said. “As truck traffic continues to increase in Ohio, we have to make sure goods and workers can get to their final destination safely and on time. This project ensures that Ohio isn’t the chokepoint in the national supply chain.”
Ohio is within a day’s drive of 60 percent of the population of the United States and Canada.