May 25—NORTH KINGSVILLE — After more than 18 months of work, a portion of Route 531 has reopened, the Ohio Department of Transportation said.
Route 531 was closed between LaBounty Road and just west of Route 193 in late November 2022, as erosion encroached on the roadway near the North Kingsville-Ashtabula Township line, and ODOT initiated an emergency project to protect the roadway shortly thereafter.
To stabilize the slope, steel sheet piles were driven into the ground next to the roadway.
The road section was periodically worked on during 2023 and 2024.
In March, ODOT closed Route 531 next to Monday Drive for another erosion protection project.
ODOT spokesman Ray Marsch said the portion of Route 531 adjacent to Monday Drive should be open to traffic by the end of next week.
ODOT is also planning another project in the area, intended to provide long-term projection for Route 531.
The project involves bringing in large rocks and placing them along the shoreline, then stacking smaller rocks on top of them up the slope, ODOT spokesman Justin Chesnic said previously.
“We are now working to obtain the permits, through the Army Corps of Engineers and the Ohio EPA,” he said in April. “It’ll take at least a year to get those permits, so we’re hoping that by May or June we’ll have the permits for that. And it’s probably a $20 to $30 million project, about $25 million, I would say.”
Depending on financing, the project could start as early as 2026.
