The Ohio Department of Transportation says its expansion of U.S. Route 33 in Athens and Meigs counties remains on track to finish in fall 2028, despite record rainfall this year in southeast Ohio. An ODOT engineer gave the update this week, confirming the timeline for one of the largest road projects in the region.
The $274 million project, which started in 2025, will add two lanes to 25 miles of U.S. 33 in Athens and Meigs counties. When it is complete, the route will be four lanes wide all the way from Columbus to the Ohio River, closing the last remaining two-lane gaps on that corridor.
ODOT District 10 public information officer Ashley Rittenhouse said truck traffic makes up a large portion of the vehicles on U.S. 33 from Athens toward West Virginia. She said the expansion will stop cars from having to pass trucks on a two-lane road and risking a head-on crash, and that ODOT expects traffic to increase after the work as drivers are drawn to the new lanes.
Crews have already completed a large amount of groundwork. In Meigs County, ODOT District 10 construction engineer Cary Betzing said crews have installed more than 40,000 feet of drainage, placed 7,500 tons of rock and completed 1 million cubic yards of excavation, in figures shared with reporters on Oct. 16.
In Athens County, Betzing said crews have completed most of the project’s major drainage work and 1.7 million cubic yards of excavation and embankment. The two counties together account for the full 25-mile work zone between Athens and the Ohio River.
For drivers using the route now, ODOT said traffic impacts so far have been limited to lane closures, orange barrels, temporary traffic signals and occasional side road closures. Rittenhouse stressed safety in the work zone, saying drivers should never be distracted behind the wheel, especially where speed limits and lane patterns can change and workers are present.
ODOT posts ongoing traffic impacts for the project on its website, and drivers through Athens and Meigs counties are urged to check conditions before traveling and to slow down through the work areas. The department says the fall 2028 completion date remains the target as construction continues through the next two construction seasons.
Photo: Dougtone, CC BY-SA 2.0