Critical U.S. 35 Safety Improvements Begin in Jackson County

Presented By Atomic Speedway

(Chillicothe) – Work is set to begin on a project to improve safety on U.S. 35 near the Jackson County Rest Area and the intersection at Cain Road.

This location has seen nearly 30 crashes involving traffic to and from the rest area since 2014, and over 50% of those crashes have resulted in injury, including fatalities.

This important safety project will add eastbound and westbound acceleration lanes for traffic turning out of the rest area, a westbound right turn lane, and improvements to the existing eastbound left turn lane. These improvements will help drivers more safely navigate the transition between the high-speed travel lanes and the rest area turning lanes. The work will also consolidate the access points to and from the rest area at the Cain Road intersection.

“The number of injury crashes at this location is troubling,” said District 9 Deputy Director Michael Dombrowski. “We are confident these improvements will help travelers more safely transition to and from this rest area and this will reduce the number of injury crashes at this location moving forward.”

Work on the project is anticipated to begin April 4, with U.S. 35 westbound reduced to one lane for the first phase of construction. As part of construction, there will be no way to safely access the rest area and it is anticipated to close to the public for the project’s duration within a week of the start of construction.

Traffic on U.S. 35 will be maintained in at least one lane in each direction throughout construction, and two lanes of traffic on Cain Road will be maintained. The rest area will be closed for the project’s duration, commercial vehicle drivers are advised to adjust travel plans to utilize the U.S. 35 rest area in Gallia County, or other suitable truck stops along U.S. 35 in Jackson County.

Shelly & Sands, Inc. were awarded the $2.5 million project, and all work is expected to complete by Fall 2022.