Changes coming to Cincinnati highways on Monday, and your commute may be affected

Two major changes to local highways are scheduled to begin Monday morning. Here’s what you need to know before you hit the road this week.

Norwood Westbound Side Closing Lanes

Ohio 562, often referred to as Norwood Lateral, will be closed to all westbound traffic for up to 80 days starting Monday. Crews will close the westbound entrance ramps starting at 9 p.m. Sunday, and the lanes will be fully closed Monday. The Ohio Department of Transportation expects the lanes to reopen in late August.

The eastbound lanes of Norwood Lateral were closed for 77 days and reopened in late May. The westbound closure represents Phase 2 of the project, which is rehabilitating bridges spanning Paddock Road, Reading Road and Ross Avenue.

Read more about the closure here.

SmartLane Coming to I-275 Westbound

Westbound I-275 will be home to southwest Ohio’s first SmartLane starting Monday.

The new lane will allow drivers to use the inner shoulder of the highway during the morning rush hour, typically on weekdays between 6am and 9am. It will run between the Reed-Hartman Highway and the Loveland-Madeira Highway on westbound I-275.

ODOT staff monitoring traffic in the area will open SmartLane if traffic slows below 55 mph. When it is open, the digital signals on the inner shoulder will be marked with a green arrow. The track will be marked by a red arrow when it is closed and a yellow arrow when it is almost closed. When SmartLane is open, the speed limit on that part of the highway will drop to 55 mph instead of the usual 65 mph.

Read more about SmartLane here.

This article originally appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer: Westbound Norwood Lateral closing, I-275 SmartLane opening Monday