By Megan Alley
Sun staff
Construction work on the Eastgate South Drive roundabout will continue into summer 2016.
The segment, known as project area six, consists of two phases, according to Clermont County Engineer Pat Manger.
Phase one refers to the construction of the north half of the roundabout, and phase two refers to the construction of the south half.
The roundabout was expected to be completed by Oct. 31, but officials from the Clermont County Engineers office began shifting that schedule in September.
The cause of the delay is bad soil, which had to be removed before a wall in the base of the basin could be constructed.
“People have noticed that the wall is finally going up,” said Craig Stephenson, Clermont County Chief Deputy Engineer, during the Clermont County Transportation Improvement District Board meeting on Oct. 9. “We had some issues with the existing soil conditions out on the site that we had to remedy, which took five or six weeks to actually do.”
Officials met with the project contractor on Oct. 9 to discuss how to move forward.
“We decided that the portions of the road that are currently closed will remain closed through the winter,” said Manger in an interview. “By allowing that area to be closed longer, the contractor can complete phase one by the spring so we can go into phase two.”
He added, “When the new strip mall comes online in the spring, the north half will be ready to accommodate people that need to get in and out of the area.”
Eastgate South Drive to Eastgate Square, which is currently closed, will remain closed through the winter and reopen in spring 2016, when phase one is completed.
A portion of Clepper Drive and Eastgate South Drive will remain open through the winter to allow drivers to travel the area. The segment will close during the construction of phase two.
“We want to stabilize the traffic flow and have good access throughout the holiday season,” Stephenson said.
The project is expected to be complete by the end of summer 2016.
According to the TID website, the estimated construction cost for the project was $900,000. Current construction cost for the project, including project revisions and delays, is approximately $2.26 million.