Slip repair to shut down section of 141
Published 9:23 am Friday, July 5, 2013
WILGUS — For the next two months, those traveling to Wilgus on State Route 141 will have to find alternate routes while a landslide repair is ongoing.
The construction site will be near the 16.46-mile marker and because of the limited amount of roadway space at that section, it will be closed to all traffic.
“There is not enough room for where the work center is to be established, crews to do the work and where to put the traffic signal,” said Kathleen Fuller, public information officer for District 9, Ohio Department of Transportation. “There is no way we could maintain traffic, get it to move there in a safe and efficient manner.”
One of the main drawbacks to maintaining one lane open with a signal directing traffic is a rock wall along State Route 141 in the area of the slip.
“There is no place for them to put traffic (with) the location of (State Route) 775,” Fuller said. “You have to have so much spacing and distance when you have traffic signals. We have a certain policy that there are requirements by law that you have to have so much distance, so much spacing. You have to be able to justify it and explain it.”
The slip happened about two years ago and it will be repaired with the construction of a 124-foot plug pile retaining wall by BBR Drilling.
“We had so many slips occur in 2010 and 2011,” Fuller said. “We were able to apply for emergency funding for the projects.”
Completion date for the project is expected to be the end of September.
Until then the detour for local truck traffic is Buck Creek Road.
“The detour for the purpose of heavy truck traffic, we have to assign them over state routes,” Fuller said. “People will see signs on 775 to go into Gallia County. It will connect back to 141.”