Bridge Street Reconstruction Project, Starting this Spring, Outlined
Ross County, Chillicothe, Bridge Street, and Frankfort — The annual Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce “State of the Community” highlighted recent developments and upcoming plans for four aspects of the area, at the Chillicothe Country Club on March 14th, 2025
Watch my five videos of three of the four presenters, below.
Ross County Commissioner Jack Everson gave the “State of the County.” A few of the items he touched on:
- Commissioners’ recent actions and new policies, including increased meeting transparency with AI-generated transcripts of meetings, and a new “Communications Manager.”
- Planned exterior renovation of the Courthouse and Old Jail, and the future (or not) of the LCNB Building.
- Changes in departments in county government.
- Commercial property values to be recalculated.
- County Engineer: Charleston Pike railroad overpass replacement, hope to reopen Cooks Hill Road.
Less of a “state of” and more of a state to be, ODOT District 9 project manager Tom Barnitz discussed the two-and-a-half year “Bridge Street Improvement Project” which begins this spring.
Barnitz said the state highway department knows Bridge Street is part of a regional shopping and commercial district, with major roads coming through, so there are many travelers from outside the county.
So, ODOT has accelerated the construction schedule – including a large penalty if the contractor runs late. Barnitz said they want construction paused during the holiday shopping season, starting in October-November of both years. Then, the final half-year will be more of a cleanup.
Aside from the usual construction restrictions, a major issue will be closing half of all traffic in the second year – like when the bridge was replaced 20 years ago. Only northbound traffic will be able to travel under the US 35 overpass in 2026.
Barnitz said there are no fire stations north of the river, and the hospital is to the north, so they decided that since they had to choose, it was best to allow movement only northbound. High Street, Main Street, and the US 23 / 35 freeway will serve as bypasses for southbound traffic.
His PowerPoint slide show is available online. (You might play the below videos while reviewing the document.)
Chillicothe Mayor Luke Feeney gave his “State of the City,” reading a prepared speech with no slides.
He started with the travail of snow removal, pointing out that the city has about 100 miles of city streets – from four lanes to alleys.
He also joked about there being four seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter, and Construction Season.
Feeney said the recent “Choose Chillicothe” city comprehensive plan showed that Yoctangee Park is a focus of community interest. Then the governor announced the Appalachian Community Grant Program in the fall of 2022, and six months later it was adopted, with the largest amount of $35M going to Chillicothe because the city had a comprehensive plan.
Feeney said we have “seen the planning and pain cycle replay itself in Chillicothe.” The city has had many grants through years, but this has the most growing pains. “Growing pains aren’t a sign of failure, and they’re not a reason to stop – they’re a natural step towards success.”
Frankfort Mayor Patti Cavender also discussed the village’s downtown revitalization project, as well as chatted about other aspects of the town. The project is part of the Ohio regional Appalachian Community Grant Program, which includes the Yoctangee Park project.
Cavender is retired from the Frankfort event center “Sunroom at the Brick.”
The Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce has a website, and a Facebook page among other social media.
