BLAINE — Efforts to replace the Blaine Hill Bridge are progressing, and the Ohio Department of Transportation released a statement to address local residents’ concerns about the project.

The Blaine Hill Bridge has long been a source of contention for Belmont County residents.

Several people have voiced frustration with the long timeline of the project.

In July, ODOT restricted traffic on the Blaine Hill Bridge after the span showed structural issues that caused concern. Originally, ODOT only closed the westbound lanes of the span on U.S. 40 “out of an abundance of caution” while working to address structural deficiencies.

Soon, though, ODOT and the Ohio State Highway Patrol received multiple reports of drivers either not understanding or not obeying the posted signs and traveling west in the open eastbound lanes. According to ODOT, that behavior led to several close calls that could have caused life-threatening traffic collisions.

On Aug. 5, ODOT closed the bridge to all traffic.

In the statement released by ODOT, the reasoning for completely closing the bridge was not only due to this issue. However, traffic traveling in the wrong direction was a factor that accelerated the “inevitable” closure of the bridge.

Some Belmont County residents have expressed doubt that the bridge could not accommodate one lane of traffic until construction begins. They have appealed to highway officials, asking for a lane to be opened and for traffic to be controlled with temporary signals on either end of the bridge.

Residents of communities such as Blaine, Wolfhurst, Barton and Bridgeport have expressed that the closure is a major inconvenience for people who used National Road to travel back and forth to St. Clairsville and points further west. Nearby businesses have also reported that the closure has impacted their bottom lines.

In response to the delay, residents formed a committee and started a petition seeking to reopen one lane of the bridge until the construction begins. It has received over 1,000 signatures from Belmont County residents.

“ODOT will not compromise safety for convenience. Initially, the bridge was closed due to motorists traveling in the wrong direction, causing safety concerns. However, due to the continuing deterioration of the bridge, the bridge will remain closed indefinitely until the rehabilitation project is completed,” ODOT’s press release states.

According to ODOT, there is substantial deterioration of the span, including significant leaking and cracking on the bridge deck and damage to the columns and concrete structure. The construction project will involve replacing the bridge’s 400 beams, the existing bridge deck, the railing and patching the concrete piers.

The project is estimated to take about 18 months and is slated to begin in October with a completion date in the spring of 2027.

“We’re not happy with waiting four or five years for this to be completed. If this was in Cleveland, Columbus or Cincinnati, there wouldn’t be this long of a wait,” concerned Barton resident and retired St. Clairsville police officer Jeff Gazdik recently told county commissioners while asking for them to intervene.

Commissioners told Gazdik and other residents that they have urged ODOT to accelerate the repairs.

ODOT said the project has been accelerated five months ahead of schedule. It states that ODOT is working closely with the designer to expedite any stage of the planning process possible while adhering to the Project Development Plan. It said it will continue searching for ways to further accelerate the project.

“ODOT is required to follow the comprehensive Project Development Plan for every project, which involves five sequential phases: (1) Planning, (2) Preliminary Engineering, (3) Environmental Engineering, (4) Final Engineering/Right-of-Way, and (5) Construction,” ODOT said of its inability to begin the work immediately. “Currently, the project is in the second phase of this essential project. The Blaine Bridge is a substantial structure at 754 feet in length.”