INITIAL REPORT:
A busy, half-mile stretch of Stroop Road in Kettering will close completely in both directions, from Labor Day through the end of the year, so a bridge can be replaced, according to city officials.
Stroop Road will be closed from Woodman Drive, near Routsong Funeral Home, to the Glenheath/Braddock intersection a half-mile east, just shy of Indian Riffle Park.
RELATED: Stroop Road bridge to be replaced
Last year, while the city of Kettering was repaving Stroop Road, they discovered deterioration in the beams of the small bridge over the Little Beaver Creek. City officials said the start of the paving work further compromised the integrity of the county-owned bridge.
Since then, traffic has been reduced to one lane in each direction at the bridge site. That has led to frequent merging problems and occasional crashes as drivers not used to the lane closure don’t notice they have to move over.
Montgomery County officials have estimated the cost of the project at $1.4 million. Once the bridge is replaced, Stroop Road will go back to two lanes in each direction.
RELATED: Stroop Road lanes closed because of bridge issue
City officials are encouraging drivers to use Dorothy Lane and Woodman Drive to detour around the closed road, starting after Labor Day.
The project will affect traffic toward I-675 as well as The Greene Town Center just east on Stroop Road and the Kettering Recreation Complex on Glengarry Drive. It may also require Kettering City Schools to adjust some school bus routes for Indian Riffle Elementary School and Kettering Middle School, both on Glengarry Drive.
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