COAL GROVE — Motorists on U.S. Route 52 near the Ashland bridges may experience some delays for the next two weeks, as crews continue to work to shore up the hillside.

All four lanes are being closed for short periods of time as scaling work is done is done in the area.

Kathleen Fuller, public information officer for the Ohio Department of Transportation, said the closures are a precaution due to the possibility of falling rock.

“Anything that could potentially be large enough to break through the barrier wall,” she said.

She said that crews will use the Ohio State Highway Patrol to hold traffic for 4-5 minute intervals about six or seven times a day.

Traffic will be allowed to move once crews give an “all clear” signal.

A house-sized boulder fell from the cliff along the road in April 2015, closing three of the road’s four lanes.

Crews are in the process of removing rock and will build a buttress underneath to shore up the hillside. They will also construct a catch wall.

Work in the area was expected to be finished by July. Fuller said the project is slightly behind schedule and crews have been working double shifts to make up for lost time.

She said they should know soon if the project will meet its original completion date.