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Ohio 122 to close near Gratis

Graphic by Greg DeGroat Construction begins Thursday, July 9, on a project that will close a portion of Ohio 122 for several weeks.

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By Chelsey Levingston, Staff Writer Updated 7:00 AM Wednesday, July 8, 2009

GRATIS — Construction begins Thursday, July 9, on a project that will close a portion of Ohio 122 for several weeks.

Work this week is set to begin to replace a culvert on Ohio 122 in Preble County. The culvert to be replaced is a drain that passes under and carries water under the roadway from the Twin Creek tributary, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation. It is located between the intersection of Ohio 122 and Greenbush Road and the village of Gratis northwest of Middletown.

Eagle Bridge Company, a bridge and tunnel construction company in Sidney, was awarded the contract with the lowest bid of $325,500, said Sharon Smigielski, ODOT spokeswoman.

After preparation work starts Thursday, that area of Ohio 122 will close for 90 days starting July 23, according to ODOT.

Residents going north will be detoured along Ohio 744 west, Ohio 503 north to Ohio 122 south. Those going south will be detoured to Ohio 503 south, Ohio 744 east to Ohio 122 north, said Smigielski.

“I think it’s a pain because I live on the other side,” said Ohio 122 resident Missy Brewer, a clerk at Thompson’s Market on the corner of Ohio 122 and Greenbush Road. “I have to drive five miles to work and I live a half mile away.”

Owner Tina Thompson said the road closure won’t be good for business.

“That’s a main road. There’s a lot of traffic out there,” she said. “It’s going to be more inconvenient for customers, really.”

Don Tolson lives on one side of the construction while his business, Tolson Pallet Manufacturing, is located on the other side of the culvert. His business has about two tractor-trailer loads of lumber moving in and out every day.

“We’ll have to go through Germantown,” said Tolson.

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