Motorists traveling through Newport encountered new closures, lane restrictions and detours beginning Monday, Aug. 17, as Washington County continued work on its County Highway 38 Pavement Preservation Project.
The new construction stage affects portions of County Highway 38, including Maxwell Avenue, Seventh Avenue and Glen Road.
Beginning Aug. 17, northbound County Highway 38, known as Maxwell Avenue and Seventh Avenue through the area, is closed from 21st Street to the private rail line and from 20th Street to Glen Road.
Northbound traffic was detoured using County Highway 38, Trunk Highway 61 and back to County Highway 38 on Maxwell Avenue.
Southbound traffic remains open throughout this stage of construction. Two-way traffic also remain open on County Highway 38 between 21st and 20th streets.
Additional restrictions were put in place on Maxwell Avenue. Northbound Maxwell Avenue was reduced to a single lane from just west of Highway 61 to the private rail line.
County Highway 38 along Glen Road also has lane closures affecting both directions between Seventh Avenue and the Glen Road Connector. Despite the construction, access to Highway 61 was maintained at all times.
Pedestrian access also remained available throughout the project.
Washington County expected work associated with this stage to be completed by the end of September, weather permitting.
Once that stage is completed, construction is scheduled to shift to the west side of the County Highway 38 corridor between Glen Road and 70th Street. The overall pavement preservation project was scheduled to be completed by the end of October.
The work was part of Washington County's ongoing improvements to the County Highway 38 corridor. The pavement preservation project involved a series of temporary traffic changes as construction moved through different sections of the corridor.
Drivers who regularly use County Highway 38 through Newport are advised to plan for additional travel time and be prepared for changing traffic patterns as work progressed. Motorists were also advised to follow posted detour routes and construction signs and use caution around workers and equipment.
The City of Newport shared the county's construction information Sunday, Aug. 16, alerting residents to the Aug. 17 traffic changes.
Washington County continued to provide additional information and updates about the County Highway 38 project, including construction staging and traffic impacts, through its project website.