Motorists traveling throughout Lawrence County may find some travel delays this week.

The Ohio Department of Transportation District 9 has a number of projects in the works, including the State Route 7 widening project in Proctorville and a new bridge at Scottown.

A project to build a new bridge in place of the Old Scottown Covered Bridge on Pleasant Ridge road is underway. The bridge crossing Indian Guyan Creek, just off State Route 217 east of Scottown should be completed by Oct. 31. Throughout construction, traffic will be maintained on the existing structure. The $364,000 project will eliminate traffic on the historic Scottown covered bridge, saving the county's only covered bridge from excess wear and tear.

Also, contractors are set to begin a culvert/bridge replacement at the 15-mile marker on State Route 93 near Mt. Vernon-Howard Ridge Road and Campbell. Site preparation is expected to begin next week. Throughout construction, traffic will be maintained on one lane with the use of flaggers and temporary traffic signals. The completion date for work on this project is Nov. 15.

Work continues on the State Route 7 widening project. Traffic is being maintained with the use of flaggers; however,

motorists are advised to expect delays of up to 20 minutes especially during peak travel times. The completion date for the entire widening project is August 2004.

Road crews are also busy right now with a district wide pavement marking project. Contractors are striping various routes as well as guard rail installation throughout the ODOT District 9 region.

Motorists are urged to drive with caution in these areas and may experience some travel delays.