A four-mile stretch of Interstate 271 in Summit County is scheduled for a major rebuild starting this year.
The Ohio Department of Transportation plans to tear up the highway between the Ohio Turnpike in Boston Township and state Route 176 in Richfield.
The estimated $60 million project — the most expensive highway project in Summit County this year — is expected to start in late April or early May.
It’s scheduled to be completed in November 2015.
“What we’re going to do is take the pavement we drive on and tear it down to the dirt and get rid of everything,” ODOT spokesman Justin Chesnic said. “It’s time for the whole thing to be taken out and redone.”
The pavement is subpar in that area, he said.
Work also will include repairs to nine bridges and ramps.
The construction will cause a major inconvenience for the 31,000 to 36,000 vehicles that use that stretch each day. I-271 is a major bypass along the east side of Cleveland that travels from Interstate 71 on its southern tip to Interstate 90 at the north end.
ODOT will maintain two lanes of traffic in each direction, but one direction will be split across the median and motorists will encounter concrete barriers.
It’s unclear whether the northbound or southbound lanes will be done first. The project hasn’t been awarded to a contractor and those details will be determined in a pre-construction meeting, Chesnic said.
The I-271 northbound ramp to Interstate 77 northbound also will be closed for 90 days for the work.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com.
