The detour will be westbound 35 to southbound Smithville Road to eastbound Linden Avenue to Woodman Drive, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.
The closure is due to the state reconfiguring the interchange, a project expected to last until the fall of 2024, ODOT said.
The goal is to have the ramp reopened by Labor Day, but the state may have it closed through September if the timeframe is “extended due to materials, weather” or other factors, ODOT Spokeswoman Loryn Bryson said.
The next scheduled ramp closure will be from Woodman to U.S. 35 west, which is set for July, she said.
As the project moves forward, ODOT urges motorists “slow down through the work area, pay attention,” Bryson said. “The more help that we can get, hopefully we are able to get through it as smooth as possible and help get that interchange updated so more people can travel through with ease.”
About 62,600 vehicles daily on average traveled U.S. 35 east of Woodman in 2021 and the count was about 67,200 on the highway west of the road, according to the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission.
In that area of Woodman, the highest daily vehicle average for that year was 23,700 north of U.S. 35, data from the commission shows.
Both state and local officials said this spring that delays and detours would be expected as the project moves forward.
While an inconvenience, “we’re optimistic the new layout will benefit motorists coming to and through Riverside,” City Manager Josh Rauch has said.
In April, ODOT shifted Woodman traffic in both directions to the southbound lanes. After that side is complete, the plan calls for all Woodman traffic to shift into the northbound lanes and remain that way until September 2024, Bryson has said.
The project is part of the multi-phase U.S. 35 improvements between I-675 in Beavercreek and Steve Whalen Boulevard in Dayton, according to ODOT.
Due to funding constraints, ODOT said a tight urban diamond interchange at U.S. 35 and Woodman is a more practical design than the originally proposed single-point urban interchange.
Moving the U.S. 35 ramps will create a larger distance between the ramps and Linden, and the left turn lanes on Woodman to the ramps will be extended, Bryson said.
The ramps at Woodman will also be upgraded to include a left turn lane, right turn lane and a middle lane with the option to turn in either direction, she added.
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