Lancaster’s Main Street closure now set to start Monday

LANCASTER – The Ohio Department of Transportation has again changed the closure date of Main Street in downtown Lancaster; it will now close Monday.

The street will be closed between High Street and Memorial Drive while crews perform work on replacing the decorative crosswalks. The road is expected to be closed for 14 days, weather permitting, according to the ODOT new release.

The timing for the closure was originally scheduled for the April 27, then was moved to May 11, before the latest change.

A three-block stretch of the street was replaced last spring and summer, and while the concrete pavement is fine, the red-brick decorative areas didn’t turn out well. One segment was replaced near Columbus Street last year and that held up better, so now the rest will be replaced.

The repair is covered by warranty and won’t cost the city any money.

The road will be closed to all traffic during the closure. The section from Memorial Drive to Columbus Street will be totally closed. The section from Columbus to Broad streets will be closed to vehicles but open to pedestrians at Center Alley; that strip doesn’t need to be replaced. The section from Broad to High streets will have limited motor vehicle access, but no through traffic or large trucks.

Traffic will be detoured to Wheeling Street for westbound traffic and Chestnut Street for eastbound traffic.