FINDLAY, Ohio — Drivers in Findlay no longer have to detour around a busy overpass that was closed for three months.
In July, the MLK Parkway overpass in Findlay was closed, along with the western 5-way intersection it connected to.
Hancock County funded this 1.5 million dollar construction project to elevate the approach at both ends of the parkway by at least three feet to keep the road open during major flooding events.
"It really was frustrating for everybody having to find new routes. This is a major intersection in our community close to downtown. So it definitely was impactful, but it was a necessary project that we needed to complete. And the long-term effects are going to be very beneficial," Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn said.
The reopening was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting Wednesday.
Now both the county and city of Findlay can be confident to have at least one main artery in the city open if it floods.
In previous 100-year flood events, the only way across the Blanchard River at the time was to take I-75.
"We have many employers downtown that employ folks who live outside of downtown, so we need them in and out. As well as the emergency personnel," Hancock County commissioner Tim Bechtol said.
"In flooding events, we're not going to have the flooding in these intersections. So people are still going to be able to get across the community. And that's really important, both for our community just to continue to operate, but especially for our safety services," Muryn said.
The city and county are continuing their ongoing flood mitigation plan with phase two of riverbank benching planned for next year.