PROCTORVILLE – Ohio Department of Transportation officials will visit Thursday to talk with area residents about the much-awaited Chesapeake Bypass.

Tuesday, December 19, 2000

PROCTORVILLE – Ohio Department of Transportation officials will visit Thursday to talk with area residents about the much-awaited Chesapeake Bypass.

ODOT officials will hold a public hearing 4-8 p.m. Thursday at Fairland High School in Rome Township to discuss recent updates in the project and their plans to push forward.

Maps showing the proposed changes and design of the highway will be shown, said Kathleen Fuller, ODOT District 9 spokesperson.

"We will be discussing tentative schedules for right-of-way acquisition and construction," Mrs. Fuller said. "This open hearing is the legal phase of the project and allows the residents a chance to provide comment on the Environmental Impact Statement."

A draft of the EIS was approved by the Federal Highway Administration in November and was then released for public inspection, she added.

She said the hearing will be an opportunity for Lawrence County residents to discuss the EIS and ask questions regarding the bypass.

"Basically, this hearing is to discuss where we are at this point," Mrs. Fuller said. "There won’t be any new developments they won’t be unfamiliar with."

ODOT District 9 deputy director John Hagen called the project a huge step forward for area residents.

"The purpose of the meeting is to provide information and gather comments on the proposed construction of a four-lane divided highway that will relocate (Ohio) 7 in Union and Rome Townships," Hagen said. "The primary purpose of this job is to help alleviate the traffic congestion through Rome Township and Proctorville. We have a good chance to accomplish that."

Construction is estimated to begin in late spring to early summer, Mrs. Fuller said.

ODOT stressed the meeting’s intent is to address not only the project as a whole, but also the approved draft of the EIS, which includes information on cultural resources," she said. "This is especially important for those interested in the historical aspects of archeology and architecture in the area."

And residents’ comments will be included in final draft of the EIS, she added.

"The EIS draft is a major step forward for the project," she said. "By seeing the EIS has been drafted, it should tell people that this is going to happen."

Residents can find a copy of the environmental document at the Chesapeake and Proctorville libraries, in both village mayors’ offices, the Lawrence County Engineer’s Office and the Lawrence County commissioners’ office.

Those interested in submitting a written statement concerning the EIS or other items of the proposal can present it at the hearing or mail it by Jan. 8, 2001, to: The Ohio Department of Transportation, District 9 Deputy Director, 650 Eastern Ave., Chillicothe, Oh. 45601.