The Ohio Department of Transportation announced that State Route 7 is now open to northbound and southbound traffic. All traffic has been diverted to the northbound lanes with one lane traveling in each direction.
We know that Route 7 is an arterial route and we feel like it's necessary to put traffic back on it
said Stephanie Filson, Ohio Department of Transportation spokeswoman.
Route 7 has been closed to southbound traffic since mid-January because of an emergency slip repair a mile south of Marietta. It was reopened to the public Feb. 19.
It's got a hillside that is very steep and after the rainfall and bad weather we've seen a lot of slipping
Filson said.
The speed limit along the project work zone has been reduced from 55 mph to 40 mph, and we highly urge all motorists to pay attention to road signs and follow the speed limit
Filson said.
No more than two blasts will occur each day, and the blasts will be around noon and between 5 and 5:30 p.m. Traffic delays should not be more than 15 minutes.
There is also a 12-foot width restriction in place for southbound traffic only.
A date for project completion has not been released.
It is really undetermined at this point
Filson said. We are trying to keep a common schedule so that everyone will know what to expect.
A budget hasn't been released because of the nature of the emergency repair.
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