ATHENS COUNTY, Ohio — This summer in Athens County, drivers are bound to encounter construction projects. We put together a preview of what construction projects are expected to occur throughout the summer – if we missed something, please email info@athensindependent.com.
All dates below are for 2026 unless otherwise noted.
Athens County Engineer
The Athens County Engineer is spending over $2 million this summer to repair roads and bridges following years of regular use and landslides.
McKee Paving of Nelsonville won a contract to pave 4.1 miles of road including parts of Meadowbrook Road., North Rodehaver Road and South Rodehaver Road. The paving will cost $724,374 and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31.
Additionally the County Engineer’s road crew will chip and seal 17.2 miles of road including Hooper Ridge Road, Lottridge Road, Four Mile Road, Chase Road and Potter Road.
The Righter Company has won the contract to reconstruct the Blackwood Bridge on C.R. 46. Part of the construction will be paid for using federal funds. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $1,062,883 and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31.
Scioto Valley Paving will be doing culvert work on Connet Road. The project is expected to cost $327,010 with an estimated completion date of June 30.
The County Engineer will also have bridge crews replace the Harner Road bridge on Athens Township Road 53 and the Kimberly Road bridge on C.R. 1. Each project is expected to cost $250,000. The Harner Road bridge should be completed by Aug. 31, and the Kimberly Road bridge should be done by Nov. 30.
Landslide repairs will be done on C.R. 31 (Oakdale Road), C.R. 36 (Hooper Ridge Road), C.R. 48 (New England Road) and Country Road 15 (Wood Road). The County Engineer’s office estimates that these landslide repairs will be completed by Dec. 21.
The Athens County Engineer has several other projects they plan to get to this year but for which they do not have dates or budgets ready to be announced. These include miscellaneous bridge repairs, culvert projects and asphalt leveling.
Ohio Department of Transportation
The Ohio Department of Transportation is working on the expansion of U.S. 33 from two lanes to four lanes between Athens and Meigs counties. Rolling road blocks will be in place with temporary traffic signals installed at certain intersections.
The passing lane on U.S. 33 is closed between Oxley Road and Pleasant Hill Road. Additionally, the four lane section between Pleasanton Road and Rocksprings Road has lane closures in both directions.
The lane expansion project is expected to go into 2028 and will cost $274 million.
ODOT is also working on resurfacing U.S. 33 between Nelsonville and Logan, with lane closures expected. The resurfacing should be completed by Oct. 15.
U.S. 50 will also be resurfaced between S.R. 278 and S.R. 346. The project is estimated to be done by August 1.
S.R. 329 will be resurfaced between Zimmerman Hill Road and State Street. The project should be finished by June 30.
S.R. 56 is being realigned between Dogwood Ridge Road and Kimberly Road and will be completed by Oct. 1. The section of the state route is closed to traffic with detours in place.
ODOT also will be working on a number of projects focused on pedestrian safety including on S.R. 682 in The Plains, S.R. 329 and S.R. 550 in Amesville, and several streets in Nelsonville and parts of Albany.
City of Athens
The City of Athens released a summer construction project map May 1. As of publication, the status of several projects shown on the map had changed.
Assistant City Engineer Gillian Garland told the Independent that the South Green Drive sewer project remains ongoing around the Peden Stadium area and is expected to continue through the fall.
Construction of the Columbus Road Shared Use Path, which extends from the bike path spur across from Devil’s Kettle Brewery to the city limits toward U.S. 33, is underway and expected to be completed this year, according to city traffic updates.
According to the city’s May 1 construction map, sewer work on Richland Avenue and Dairy Lane is scheduled from July 18 through July 28.
The map also lists construction impacts associated with the Marching 110 practice field as active from July 1 through July 14 and the Heritage College and Translational Research Center project as active through Aug. 15. Garland said she was not aware of any changes to those dates.
Uptown utility work is expected to continue through October, according to the city’s May 1 construction map. Garland told the Independent the project has encountered issues near Carpenter Street that may result in “roadway impact.” Garland said details are still being finalized, but the work there should be completed “before school starts.”
Construction of the S.R. 682/U.S. 56 roundabout and associated sidewalk improvements is expected to continue through November.
Garland told the Independent that the Ohio University College of Fine Arts theater project shown on the map has been completed. The city’s fiber project near Richland Avenue has also been completed, according to Garland.
City of Nelsonville
Chestnut Street, Poplar Street and Canal Street will be impacted by AEP construction, including traffic interruptions along work areas. The project is estimated to be complete by Nov. 30.
Nelsonville Public Square is partially closed on its east side, and barricaded to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic from the Dew House to the end of Rhapsody restaurant until further notice.
The Independent contacted the city’s general city manager email address and reached out to Jason Coen of Nelsonville public services by email and phone for additional information but did not hear back by time of publication. We will update this story as updates become available.
New Marshfield
Construction on the New Marshfield Sewer Project began June 8 and is estimated to take a year to complete. The project will connect New Marshfield to the Athens County Water and Sewer District.
The project is estimated to cost $7.5 million and construction plans are available to view on the Athens County Water and Sewer District’s website.
