Keowee Street Bridge work will close streets beginning in December

Replacement work on the Keowee Street Bridge over the Great Miami River has started and Monday, Dec. 11, is tentatively set as the beginning of street closures associated with the project, Montgomery County Engineer Paul Gruner said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.

The road closures will depend on the weather, Gruner’s office said. The contractor, Eagle Bridge Company, is performing the work.

The bridge construction and associated road work will continue until Sept. 1, 2019. Here’s how the project will affect local streets:

  • Keowee Street will be closed from Stanley Avenue to Embury Park Road. But, Keowee will NOT be closed until the Helena Street Bridge is open to traffic.
  • North Dixie Drive will be closed from Embury Park Road to Drill Avenue. The detour route is Stanley Avenue to I-75 to Needmore Road.
  • Embury Park Road will be closed from Kearns Avenue to Elkhart Avenue. The detour route for Embury Park Road is Kearns to Drill /Ome to Elkhart avenues.
  • Access to businesses on Keowee Street, North Dixie Drive and Embury Park Road will be kept open at all times.
  • Boat traffic will not be able to cross under the span during the bridge work. The portage route is the same as the detour for the Great Miami River Recreational Trail (read on, below). The contractor will erect advance signage.

If you are visiting Boonshoft

Visitors to the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, when coming from south of the Keowee Street Bridge, can travel Helena Street to Riverside Drive to Ridge Avenue to DeWeese Parkway.

Visitors coming from north of the bridge can use Siebenthaler Avenue to Ridge Avenue to DeWeese Parkway.

if you are using the Great Miami River Recreation Trail 

The contractor will construct a detour route for the Great Miami River Recreational Trail prior to commencing demolition.

This short detour will route trail users up a paved ramp to the top of the levee, across Keowee Street at the north end of the bridge, and back down a paved ramp to the Trail, a total distance of about 1,000 feet.

Trail users will be separated from traffic by concrete barriers when crossing Keowee Street.

The detour is expected to be completed in the next three to four weeks, and detour signage will be erected by the contractor when it is ready for use. The trail detour will remain in place until the bridge is completed.

Got a tip? Call our monitored 24-hour line, 937-259-2237, or send it to newsdesk@cmgohio.com

About the Author