OPEN AGAIN — Vehicles began traveling on the widened Lovers Lane Tuesday. -- Christopher Dacanay

STEUBENVILLE — Lovers Lane officially opened to traffic Tuesday morning, marking the end of Phase 3 of the roughly $2.7 million widening project.

The “road closed” signs came down around 9 a.m., City Engineer Mike Dolak said.

“We’re glad it’s completed — it’s been very time consuming,” Dolak said. “Those projects take a lot of time.”

Crews have been working since March to widen Lovers Lane between the roundabout at Fort Steuben Drive to Princeton Avenue — expanding the old 9.5-foot-wide roadway to 12 feet. They also relocated water and gas lines and installed a storm sewer and underground storm detention systems, curbs and new signage.

Phase 1 — the roundabout — was completed in 2017, while Phase 2 — improvements at the intersection of Lovers Lane and Sunset Boulevard — was finished in 2019.

Dolak said there currently are no plans for Phase 4.

“Right now, the next phases have not been discussed,” he said. “The concept plan was developed in 2008, and if you look at Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3…we’ve actually been working on Lovers Lane for about 15 years.”

Dolak said the wider traffic lanes should eliminate “a lot of little fender-benders” that had been happening on Lovers Lane.

“The widened, 12-foot lanes make it better, safer to travel on,” he said.

The project was funded mostly through grants, with 80 percent of the funding coming from federal highway funds allocated through the Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission. The city also was awarded $330,000 through the Ohio Public Works Commission and another $250,000 through the Governor’s Office of Appalachia.

Roughly 10,600 vehicles used Lovers Lane on a daily basis before the closure.

Next up, Dolak said, will be resurfacing Sunset Boulevard from Efts Lane to roughly Linduff Avenue. The repaving has a price tag in the vicinity of $1.8 million and will be funded by the state and federal governments.

“That will be next year, it’s planned for night work,” he added.