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I-680 entrance, exit ramps to Route 224 open today with no restrictions
BOARDMAN
All restrictions and closures on the entrance and exit ramps where Interstate 680 connects to U.S. Route 224 are removed.
Motorists exiting 680 southbound had been using a single exit, where a temporary T-intersection with a traffic light allowed motorists to turn left onto 224 eastbound and right onto 224 westbound.
Now, motorists exiting 680 southbound to 224 westbound, heading into Boardman, will use a dual right-turn lane, said ODOT District 4 spokesman Brent Kovacs.
The 680 southbound exit ramp to 224 eastbound had been closed while eastbound 224 bridge lanes were under construction. That exit will be open with no changes to it.
The bridge now will have one lane open on each side. By Saturday, two lanes on each side will be open and all restrictions on the bridge will be removed.
There will be various lane restrictions on 224 between Tiffany Boulevard and 680 until late October for resurfacing, according to Kovacs.
ODOT previously had announced it would reopen eastbound lanes on the bridge Friday, Sept. 19, but then announced Sept. 16 that the reopening would be delayed until this week.
The $5.4 million project began in July 2013, and includes widening of the bridge, changes to some of the 680-224 intersections and culvert replacement.
The 224 eastbound ramp leading to 680 northbound, which is open, was moved about 700 feet to the east.
The project was undertaken to improve the safety of the 680 southbound intersection with 224 westbound, where motorists previously had to merge into traffic. It is also intended to help alleviate congestion in that area, Kovacs had said earlier.
The project is on track to be completed, with no further lane closures, at the end of October.