State Route 39 safety project begins west of Dover

DOVER (WJER) (July 8, 2024) – The Ohio Department of Transportation is getting started with its $1.2 million safety improvement project on state Route 39 two miles west of Dover today.
District 11 spokeswoman Lauren Borell says the road will be closed in both directions in front of the Kimble Companies facility for 45 days. She says crews will be performing excavation work to improve sightlines and stopping distance along this stretch of road.
“What we’re doing is lowering the profile of the road,” Borell said.
Borell says the roadway there has been an area of concern for several years.
“Tourism is very popular in that area and of course there’s lot of folks that live out that way and travel that way on a daily basis, so it’s a very important project to get completed,” Borell said.
The detour has drivers using state routes 516 and 93 to get around the closed section of SR 39.
Borell says ODOT has had talks with the Sugarcreek Business Association and others to encourage them on how to direct traffic to local businesses during this closure.