Motorists on U.

Wednesday, September 22, 1999

Motorists on U.S. 52 near the bridge to Ashland, Ky., should expect a few minor delays this week while Dial Construction crews clean up the landslide prevention project site.

"The contractor hopes to have the project wrapped up by the end of September," said Holly Snedecor-Gray, Ohio Department of Transportation District 9 public information officer. "That’s when they aim to have the lane restrictions completed."

Lane restrictions also are possible the first week of October, but they should be minimal, Mrs. Snedecor-Gray added.

"They might have to move some barriers around the first week of October," she said. "But the project is rapidly coming to an end."

For the next few weeks, contractors will haul out stray rocks. One more blasting of the overhang on the westbound side of U.S. 52 is possible, Mrs. Snedecor-Gray said.

"They are not sure whether or not they will have to do anymore blasting," she said. "It is possible they might need to do one more small blast. But, basically, they are just trying to get the area cleaned up and haul out what they have. There are some stray rocks near the roadway that need to be removed."

Longer delays for both the westbound and eastbound lanes of U.S. 52 are possible during the blasting, Mrs. Snedecor-Gray said.

The landslide prevention project began this past fall as an effort to increase safety.

Because of the rock wall’s proximity to the through-lane at the bridge intersection, several large rocks have impacted the pavement there in the past, Mrs. Snedecor-Gray said.

The area is being recontoured to prevent any future slides through this project, she said.

The original completion date for the project was June 30, but because of unpredictable weather and equipment problems, the contractor was not able to complete the job on time, Mrs. Snedecor-Gray said.

Once the project is complete, Tri-State motorists will see U.S. 52 highway lanes return to their normal paths, Mrs. Snedecor-Gray said.

They also will notice a wider shoulder between the road and hillside, a future place for rocks to fall instead of on the roadway, she said.

The rock wall will slope away from the roadway, too, adding to the safety, she said.