A busy one-way street in downtown Marion has been adjusted to temporarily handle two-way traffic.

The State Street bridge (Ohio 423) was restriped with a double yellow line down the middle of the road on Wednesday by contractors hired by the Ohio Department of Transportation. ODOT District 6 Deputy Director Brooke Ebersole said the State Street bridge will be open to two-way traffic for 60 days while crews conduct a rehabilitation project on the Prospect Street bridge (Ohio 4) in downtown Marion.

The Prospect Street bridge was closed to traffic on Monday as intensive repair work continues on that structure. Southbound local traffic that usually travels along Prospect Street is being rerouted east across George Street to State Street, then south on State to Center Street (Ohio 309), then west on Center back to Prospect (Ohio 4).

The official ODOT detour runs from Ohio 4 south on U.S. 23 to Ohio 309 west (Harding Highway/Center Street) and then back to Ohio 4 south (Prospect Street) in downtown Marion. This detour is recommended for tractor trailers and other large truck traffic going through the city via Ohio 4.

The work being done on the Prospect Street bridge includes concrete pavement and bridge railing replacement, concrete pier repairs, pavement markings, and traffic signal upgrades. The same work will be done to the State Street bridge. The estimated cost of the entire project is $6 million. A combination of state and federal funding is being used to pay for the work.

ODOT is also conducting a major resurfacing project along Ohio 4, stretching from Gooding Road in Pleasant Township to Copeland Avenue on the north end of Marion. That project includes pavement repairs as needed, pedestrian curb ramp installation, and pavement markings. The estimated cost of the project is $2.61 million. Work should be completed in the summer of 2023, according to ODOT.

Work also continues at the junction of Ohio 98 and Ohio 529 southwest of Marion where ODOT is installing a roundabout. It will replace the two-way stop that has been at the intersection for many years. The stop signs were located on eastbound and westbound Ohio 529 at the intersection. The roundabout installation will cost an estimated $2.55 million and is expected to be completed by this fall.

ODOT officials said the roundabout will "improve safety and reduce congestion" at the intersection of Ohio 98 and Ohio 529. According to ODOT, the intersection was "listed on the Governor’s Top 150 list for intersection improvements, due to the higher than anticipated number of crashes reported at this intersection (19 reported crashes between 2015 and 2017)."

ODOT is also conducting an estimated $870,000 worth of resurfacing on Ohio 47, Ohio 229, and Ohio 95 in Marion County. Resurfacing is being done along Ohio 47 between Ohio 229 and Ohio 98. The work on Ohio 229 stretches from Ohio 47 to the Delaware County line. The Ohio 95 resurfacing project runs from Ohio 37 to east of McCormick Street in the village of LaRue.

In addition, according to ODOT, the project will resurface Ohio 229 from Norton Road to the Marion County line in Delaware County. Additional project work includes shoulder repairs, slope repairs, and guardrail replacement or repairs at various locations. Work is expected to be completed this fall.

Email: ecarter@gannett.com | Twitter: @AndrewACCarter