The Winchester Pike bridge over U.S. 33 on Columbus’ Southeast Side will close for more than a year starting Nov. 20, the Ohio Department of Transportation announced in a Nov. 10 media release reported by The Columbus Dispatch. The bridge is expected to remain closed through early 2028 while crews complete a major round of structural repairs.
The work will strengthen the bridge’s piers, upgrade structural components and replace the bridge’s surfacing, ODOT said in the release reported by The Columbus Dispatch. The bridge was first built in 1963 and was last rehabilitated in 1993. Its three major components — the deck, the superstructure and the substructure — are all rated in fair condition in National Bridge Inventory data, and about 10,190 vehicles a day use the crossing.
Drivers will need a new routine for more than a year. ODOT’s recommended detour for northbound traffic during the closure runs from Winchester Pike to James Road, then to Interstate 70 westbound and back to Livingston Avenue and U.S. 33, according to the release reported by The Columbus Dispatch…