Images courtesy of the Village of Marble Cliff
Plans for the construction of a new, wider West Fifth Avenue bridge over the Scioto River are complete.
The plan also includes a shared-use path along the south side of Fifth from Dublin Road to McKinley Avenue, as well as a sidewalk on the north side of Fifth.
Related: Developer continues the improvement of central Ohio's history in Marble CliffThe project is entirely funded, right-of-way acquisitions are complete and utility relocations are agreed upon, says Richard Ortman of the Columbus Department of Public Service, Division of Design and Construction
Work will begin in May and continue through November with portions of Fifth between Dublin and McKinley closed during construction. The bridge will be closed from July to November for a total replacement. East-west traffic on Fifth will be redirected to Trabue Road.
The bridge was built in 1971 and rehabilitated in 1995. Bridge inspections show that it requires attention due to heavy use created by the development of the areas west of the Scioto River. The work will include shifting the new bridge slightly to the north to better align with the intersection, adding a fourth lane on the bridge dedicated to east-bound Fifth Avenue traffic and adding a shared-use path on the south side and a sidewalk on the north side of the bridge. The shared use path on the south side of Fifth and the sidewalk on the north side will extend from Dublin to McKinley.
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Additional improvements include new streetlights and trees as well as the resurfacing of Fifth. LED traffic signals on mast arms will be installed at the intersection of Fifth and Dublin and connected to the master signal controller system managed by the Columbus. A new crosswalk across Dublin will connect with the proposed bridge pedestrian walk. In addition, the Scioto Greenway Trail along Dublin that ends at Fifth will be reworked and connected to the bridge’s shared-use path.
The lead agency for this extensive project is the Columbus Department of Public Service. Funding is provided by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, Ohio Department of Transportation’s municipal bridge funds, the Columbus Department of Recreation and Parks and the Columbus Department of Public Service.
Although the improvements will affect traffic in the short term, safety and traffic flow will be improved on these two busy streets, Ortman says.
“This is a great project. People in the area need it, and I hope they enjoy the improvements,” he says.
By Bill Johannes, Marble Cliff Administrative Assistant
