Buckeye Reporter

State and local officials, along with representatives from Kokosing Construction, gathered with the Ohio Department of Transportation on June 16 to commence construction on a U.S. 33 expansion project in Athens and Meigs Counties.

The project involves converting 25 miles of U.S. 33 from a two-lane highway to a four-lane divided highway. The $274 million contract was awarded to Kokosing Construction.

In the section between Athens and Darwin, 10.78 miles will be expanded to four lanes, with several intersections being converted into interchanges. This includes Pleasant Hill, Pleasanton Road, Rainbow Lake Road, and State Route 681. Additionally, seven new bridges will be built and the existing roadway resurfaced.

For the stretch between SR 7 and Ravenswood, 14.19 miles will also be converted into a four-lane divided highway. Left turn lanes will be added at various intersections along this corridor, three new bridges constructed, minor drainage improvements made, and the current roadway resurfaced.

These expansions address the last remaining two-lane segments of U.S. 33 between Columbus and the Ohio River. As an emerging freight corridor connecting Central Ohio to the southeastern United States via Interstate 77, it sees increasing truck traffic.

"Road construction projects of this magnitude don't happen very often in southeastern Ohio, so we're excited to get started," said ODOT District 10 Deputy Director Rich Oster. "With this $274 million investment, we are improving safety and efficiency, and ensuring the U.S. 33 corridor through Athens and Meigs Counties is positioned for the future."

Drivers may encounter flaggers managing traffic at side roads intersecting U.S. 33 in 2025. Updates on traffic impacts will be available on OHGO.com throughout construction, which is expected to conclude in 2028.

Information from this article can be found here.