FAIRBORN — The construction project slated to improve the Dayton-Yellow Springs, Interstate 675 interchange this year just got a little bigger.

In addition to constructing new curbs and sidewalks along Dayton-Yellow Springs Road, as well as installing lanes on the exit ramps, the scope of work will now include fixing weak spots in the roadway nearing the I-675 ramps. Council approved the additional construction item at the Feb. 19 regular meeting.

As a result, the paving project slated to take place on Garland Avenue will be moved back to 2019. In the meantime, the city is instead planning maintenance work in that area until the full construction project can take place.

“The wide cracks (on Dayton-Yellow Springs) create a very uncomfortable ride,” Fairborn City Engineer Don O’Connor said. “We’ve done some maintenance to try to seal them up to keep them from getting worse, but they don’t ride any better. This project will cut out the bad areas of concrete and put a new concrete patch in there. It will perform much better.”

The city is anticipating that the project begins in early spring and be wrapped up within three-to-five months. At least one lane is scheduled to remain open throughout the duration of the project; no full lane closures are scheduled to take place.

“It’s very important to (the Ohio Department of Transportation) that we do not have traffic backed-up onto the interstate,” O’Connor said.

In total, the project includes adding a right turn lane to the southbound exit ramp; adding a right turn lane to the northbound exit ramp; adding raised sidewalks over I-675 from Fairborn High School to the bridge over Beaver Creek; adding fencing along the north side of the bridge; making signal adjustments; adding improved signage and replacing bad areas of the pavement near the ramps on Dayton-Yellow Springs Road.

The need for the project became clear after traffic studies took place along Dayton-Yellow Springs Road in 2015 which revealed that delays and congestion were a common incident in the area. From 2011-2013, 92 crashes took place in the area. The City of Fairborn Engineering Department also highlighted that the bridge on the roadway is missing safe pedestrian and bicycle facilities as well.