TOLEDO, Ohio — Construction is set to begin Monday on the Central Avenue bridge over the Ottawa River in front of Wildwood Metropark, closing the section of the avenue between North Reynolds and Corey roads for five months.
Drivers will be required to take a five-mile detour going up Secor Road, taking I-475 west and then going south on US-23 to hook back around to Central Avenue.
Area organizations have had to adjust to the detour, further complicated by the Secor Road bridge just outside of the University of Toledo's campus also being under construction.
Faith leaders at Epworth United Methodist, just off of Central Avenue between the closure, have been preparing their congregation to take a new route to church for the last six weeks.
"We've given them some tutorials as far as, "you're coming from the mall, this is where you turn," Susan Rex, a staff account for Epworth United, said.
Memos and maps have been added to church bulletins and some members have even been coached on the best routes to take.
"Hopefully this isn't going to be a big glitch for us, but we think we've prepared everyone to the best of their ability," Rex said.
Epworth United is just one example of how residents in the west Toledo/Ottawa Hills region will have to adjust to the construction projects over the next several months.
Ottawa Hills village administrator John Wenzlick said the new traffic pattern is something his office is keeping an eye on.
"In the village, we're going to be watching the traffic to make sure that people are obeying the law," Wenzlick said.
While the Ohio Department of Transportation can only recommend people take other state routes, there are other shortcuts locals will likely take advantage of.
Corey Road cuts through the detour and connects with I-475, but it's a residential road not used to the traffic of the major streets.
But residents on Corey Road that WTOL 11 spoke with said they aren't too concerned about the possibility of more traffic near their homes.
Wenzlick agreed with their assessment and said his office is not concerned about overwhelming traffic on residential roads in the area.
Instead, Wenzlick expects some confused drivers.
"I'm sure we'll get some of it and we'll just try to educate the drivers as they're moving along," he said.
In an effort to avoid as much confusion as possible, Wenzlick asks locals to follow Epworth United's lead and plan ahead for increased driving times.
"Give yourself some extra time," he said. "In the long run, it's going to be worth it."
The Secor Road bridge has been under construction since January and is expected to reopen in July. The Central Avenue bridge is expected to reopen in August.