Two U.S. 52 ramps in Ironton closed for roundabout project

IRONTON, Ohio (WSAZ) - Wednesday marked the first day of a significant traffic change.

Two of the four ramps where U.S. 52 meets state Route 93 in Ironton are closed for construction of two roundabouts that will replace the current intersections.

Two lanes of Route 93 are closed as well.

The changes led to heavy congestion Wednesday.

“It was kind of confusing,” Ironton resident Robbi Messenger said.

The U.S. 52 West off-ramp and U.S. 52 East on-ramp at Route 93 in Ironton are expected to remain closed 90 days.

“A lot of people were out and about trying to figure out which way to go,” Ironton resident Mark Henderson said.

Traffic is being detoured to state Route 650 at the Hanging Rock exit and circling back to U.S. 52 East.

Henderson says it look him an extra 15 to 20 minutes to get where he was going.

“Traffic was bad all the way through Ironton,” he said.

Messenger took her kids to get a bite to eat at the Ironton Hills Shopping Center and didn’t know about the changes waiting for her.

“I think they should’ve just left it alone, but that’s just my opinion,” she said. “It seems to have messed up a lot. Maybe it’ll all work out once it’s finished.”

The Ohio Department of Transportation says during the project, no more than two ramps will be closed at a time. The project intended to improve safety and traffic flow is expected to be completed by the summer of 2024.

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