NELSONVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Once feared, a new bypass coming for Route 33 is now seen as a likely help for downtown Nelsonville in southeast Ohio.
People in the city of nearly 5,400 people expect the four-lane, 8.5-mile bypass to spur development and encourage visits to the downtown by relieving today's congestion, traffic choke points and crash problems. About 1.5 miles of the highway's westbound lanes on Nelsonville's western edge will open Wednesday. The same segment's eastbound lanes will open later this fall.
The full project is expected to be open in September 2013.
The Columbus Dispatch (http://bit.ly/RUuIsg ) reports that another help to traffic and the downtown is expected from a roundabout being built. And it's also expected to serve as an attractive visual "gateway" that lets drivers know they are entering downtown Nelsonville.
