REHABBED — Vehicles drove on the state Route 7 bridge over Logan Avenue that was recently rehabilitated through a $3.9 million Ohio Department of Transportation project. -- Christopher Dacanay

MINGO JUNCTION — The Ohio Department of Transportation has essentially concluded its rehabilitation project for the state Route 7 bridge over Logan Avenue, an official confirmed Monday, as nearby projects continue or approach completion.

One of three ODOT or ODOT-approved projects on a roughly 2-mile stretch of Route 7 in or around Mingo Junction, the bridge rehab project was marked complete near the end of November pending final inspection, according to Lauren Borell, ODOT District 11 public information officer.

The $3.9 million project commenced March 4 and was expected to conclude Sept. 30. Zanesville-based Shelly and Sands Inc. was the project’s contractor.

Generally, Borell said, ODOT designs new bridges with a 75-year lifespan, with plans accounting for a new wearing surface every 20 years, a new deck every 40 years and a full replacement every 75 years. This schedule may change based routine inspection results.

The bridge over Logan Avenue was constructed in 1961 and had its wearing surface — the deck’s topmost layer which vehicles make contact with — replaced in 1979 and 1994. This year’s project wasn’t a total replacement, Borell said, but it did restore some major components.

“Now, (with the bridge) at 63 years old, the recently completed project focused on replacing only the portions of the bridge rated as in poor condition, while the remaining sections were assessed to be in good condition. As a result, a complete replacement of the entire bridge was not necessary. The project included the bridge deck replacement, beams, pier caps and portions of the abutments.”

ODOT expects the bridge to need a new wearing surface around the mid-2040s, Borell said, though that timeline is subject to the findings of future inspections.

Temporary traffic signals on Logan Avenue — which tested the patience of many motorists, according to local police — have been removed. No traffic restrictions remain on or under the bridge, Borell said.

The only traffic impact remaining in the area is Route 7’s restriction to one lane in each direction with an 11-foot width restriction, stemming from Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway’s own bridge replacement project over Route 7, just west of JSW Steel.

Aided by $1 million in grant funding from the Ohio Rail Development Commission, the $3.5 million enterprise will see near-total replacement of a train bridge over Route 7 that was constructed in 1903.

W&LE’s project utilizes a traffic maintenance plan approved by ODOT. W&LE project engineer Nick Strub said Monday that the project’s current traffic control configuration is expected to continue for two more weeks, until work on the center medians is complete.

Slated for completion on Dec. 31, the project has necessitated closure of the northbound Murdock Avenue on-ramp and exit, as well as the southbound Murdock Avenue on-ramp, due to transition room deficiencies during the lane restriction.

To Logan Avenue’s north, ODOT’s rockfall remediation project continues.

With excavation having begun in August 2023, the $23.04 million-project aims to remediate the hillside over the southbound lanes of Route 7 in a portion that’s been reduced to one lane in each direction since a major landslide in March 2020. June 30 is the expected completion date.

The project zone has a 12-foot width restriction on the southbound lane and a 17-foot width restriction on the northbound lane, according to ODOT’s ohgo.com, which provides real-time traffic and road status updates.

Additionally, drivers in the project zone should be aware of and plan around daily blasting activities, which occur on weekdays at noon. For safety purposes, traffic is halted in both directions while crews detonate blasts to excavate the hillside. Delays are expected to last approximately 15 minutes while the lanes are checked and cleared.

Borell said that, as of two weeks ago, crews had 79,000 cubic yards of material left to excavate, out of the original 1.25 million cubic yards.

Drivers ought to be cautious while driving through active work zones, Borell said, particularly as temperatures drop and snow or ice begin posing a threat.

“Things are supposed to wrap up for the Wheeling & Lake Erie project by the end of the year. We’ll continue to have state Route 7 restricted in both directions for the ongoing rockfall project, but we remind folks to pay attention, drive slowly through the work zones. Especially with snow and ice coming up, you want to lower speeds through those active work zones and be cautious with those narrowing lanes.”

As the Logan Avenue bridge rehab project concludes, another project in the immediate vicinity is preparing to begin.

In May, ODOT will begin replacement of a retaining wall and culvert repairs along the Logan Avenue entrance ramp to Route 7’s northbound lane. Borell said the project will require the on-ramp’s closure, though a detour will be established — “more than likely” by using the Murdock Avenue on-ramp.

Approved by the Mingo Junction Village Council on Nov. 26, the project is set for completion on Oct. 21, 2026. Borell noted that the project timeline is tentative.