The U.S. Route 33 Lancaster bypass, originally projected to be finished in June 2005, will not be completed until mid-September 2005 because of inclement weather conditions hindering construction.
Kokosing Construction Co. Inc. of Fredericktown, Beaver Excavating Co. of Canton and Smith & Johnson Construction Co. of Columbus are working on the bypass construction, which began May 2001.
The bypass costs about $141 million, which includes construction and engineering. The delay will not increase the cost because weather problems are accounted for in the budget, said Cindy Brown, Ohio Department of Transportation District 5 spokeswoman.
The Transportation Review Advisory Council, an arm of Gov. Bob Taft's Job and Progress Plan, is funding the bypass. Funding for the council is a mixture of state and federal funds, Brown said.
The completion of the bypass will cut through travel time by about 20 minutes, Brown said.
For motorists
there will be a huge improvement in terms of safety and mobility she said.
The local route through Lancaster, Memorial Drive, will stay intact. With Route 33 re-routed as the bypass, Memorial Drive will become a city street within the corporate limits of Lancaster, said Mitchell Nusser, Lancaster Department of Transportation superintendent.
Nusser said he predicts the completion of the project will make it easier to access many areas of Lancaster because of less congestion.
After the Lancaster bypass is complete, the only remaining bottleneck on Route 33 will be through Nelsonville.
The plan for Route 33 to bypass Nelsonville is on schedule and construction is expected to begin in 2007, said Stephanie Filson, Ohio Department of Transportation District 10 spokeswoman.
The Nelsonville bypass budget is about $132 million, Filson said.
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