State transportation officials are closer to a specific design on the long-awaited Chesapeake Bypass.

Thursday, April 26, 2001

State transportation officials are closer to a specific design on the long-awaited Chesapeake Bypass.

The final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed Chesapeake Bypass has been approved by the Federal Highway Administration, the Ohio Department of Transportation announced.

The next steps take ODOT through the final public comment period, then into refinement of the design, District 9 spokesperson Kathleen Fuller said.

The state released a draft of the plan last fall, then held a public comment period just before Christmas. The plan, which included a bypass intersection at Kinley Avenue in Rome Township, drew fire from residents who said traffic would endanger the residential neighborhood.

ODOT said the intersection met the goal of the bypass – to alleviate traffic congestion on Ohio 7.

There were no major changes between the draft and the final environmental impact statement, Mrs. Fuller said.

The final draft, however, is open for public inspection and more comments.

The EIS is available for viewing through May 27 at the Lawrence County Commissioners’ office, the Lawrence County Engineer’s office, the Eastern and Chesapeake branches of the Briggs Lawrence County Public Library and the mayors’ offices in the villages of Chesapeake and Proctorville.

Comments should be addressed to: Timothy Hill, Administrator, Office of Environmental Services, The Ohio Department of Transportation, 1980 W. Broad St., Columbus, Ohio 43223, by June 1.

Design work has been ongoing through the environmental phase of the project so that the project does not fall behind schedule, and ODOT has been working with property owners on rights of way and relocations, Mrs. Fuller said.

"What this will do now is it takes us closer to a specific design exactly where the proposed alignment will be," she said.