Summer's heat hasn't arrived but Greater Cincinnati commuters already are sweating over the longest, most expensive repair job ever to Interstate 275, Cincinnati's outerbelt.

        Since March, they've been wading through a dangerous, 17-mile gantlet of dust clouds, orange barrels, barrier walls, shifting lanes and a flurry of fender-benders.

Traffic on I-275, already congested during rush hour, will get worse as construction projects starts. (Brandi Stafford photo) | ZOOM |

        The construction zone stretches from Ohio 32 in Clermont County to U.S. 42 in Sharonville. It's one of the longest continuous construction zones ever on an interstate in Southwest Ohio. State officials say they are squeezing in several projects at the same time: adding lanes, repairing overpasses and improving drainage.

        “It is a lengthy piece of work, but rather than spreading this out over a six- to eight-year period, it's going to happen in two to three years. That's the positive side of it,” said Larry Weisman, ODOT's district construction engineer.

        Commuters who've endured orange barrels for months just want to know: when will it all be done?

        The quick answer: not for more than a year.

        The Ohio Department of Transportation says it is doing all it can to keep traffic flowing smoothly. Drivers are shunted onto paved berms to keep as many lanes open as possible. Lane restrictions and exit ramp closures are generally at night, and speed limits have been trimmed only by 10 mph.

        Still, commuters who must dodge heavy trucks and concrete construction walls find it a nerve-racking trip.

        “It's tense. My natural body reaction is to get all scrunched up and get paranoid about all the drivers around me,” said James Allen, 27, of Mount Lookout. “It seems like they're always doing something every year. At what point do they actually get done and stop for 10 years?”

        Take heart, Mr. Weisman said. It'll be worth it when the work is done.

INFOGRAPHIC

• I-275 summer constructions projects.

        “The whole point of all this work is that in the end the traffic will flow much better (and) much more freely,” he said. “It's going to be tough between now and the end. But, in the end, it'll be a tremendous benefit for the community.”

        When it's finished in the fall of 2003, the reconstruction and widening of I-275 in the eastern suburbs will have cost $110 million, making it ODOT's second-most expensive road repair project ever in Greater Cincinnati. (The state contributed $133 million to the Fort Washington Way reconstruction.)

        The project began in March 2001 with replacement of bridges over the Little Miami River near Loveland. That work is expected to be completed in August 2003.

        For the most part, traffic chugs along. But even minor crashes and break-downs can lead to lengthy tie-ups, especially in areas where concrete barriers prevent vehicles from moving to the side.

        Mike Grimes, 35, of Anderson Township tunes into a sports radio station when he gets trapped in a bumper-to-bumper crawl.

        “The only problem you run into is when there's an accident,” he said. “It pretty much shuts down the highway, and you don't have a way to get around it.”

        Charmaine McCreary, 68, of Sharonville, estimates that the work zone adds at least 10 minutes to her 20-minute commute.

        “It takes so long to get home,” she said. At times, “you just sit there. You have to stay calm. ... It has to be done. Otherwise, we'd end up with potholes.”

        The work on I-275 is about a lot more than just maintaining the road. More than 72,000 vehicles use this stretch of interstate each day, and ODOT expects that number to jump 18 percent — to 85,000 — within 15 years.

        The John R. Jurgensen Co. of Blue Ash is handling three of the four individual projects. The Ruhlin Co. of Sharon Center, Ohio, won the fourth contract.

        The projects involve:

        • Building new traffic lanes in the grass median from U.S. 42 and Montgomery Road exits so that new lanes can be added. A new lane also will be added in both directions of Reed Hartman Highway, between the I-275 and Cornell Park Drive. Total cost: $33.5 million.

        • Replacing the existing bridge over the Little Miami River, repairing eight overhead bridges, building a 12-foot shoulder in the median, and upgrading the drainage system from Montgomery Road to U.S. 50. Total cost: $29.5 million.

        • Adding a third lane in both directions from U.S. 50 to Ohio 32. Ruhlin is handling this project. Cost: $18.8 million.

        • Adding a third lane each way from Ohio 32 to just south of the Ohio 125 exit. Cost: $27.5 million. Work on this roughly three-mile stretch should begin next month.

        Despite the irritation such a big construction zone causes for drivers, traffic experts support ODOT's decision to do the four projects at the same time.

        “That's probably a prudent way to tackle it. ODOT is acting wisely. We will immediately feel the benefit,” said Ted Hubbard, Hamilton County chief deputy engineer.

        State troopers are watching the construction zone carefully. They're handing out hundreds of tickets each week, mainly for speeding, and investigated 54 accidents in March and April.

        “When (drivers) get impatient, they start following people too close. (Then), they start making impatient lane changes. That causes problems,” said Sgt. Kevin Long of the patrol's Batavia post.

        Enforcement has been stepped up. Troopers handed out about 1,600 speeding tickets in Clermont County last month, about 400 more than in April 2000, Sgt. Long said.

        Still, troopers say, some drivers aren't getting the message.

        Sgt. Long said that despite the doubled fines, “I don't think they're paying attention. We've had a lot of rear-end collisions.”

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