The state Route 161 expansion project is well on its way for a spring 2010 completion date, and the entire stretch is now connected.

Kate Stickle, spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Transportation's district 5, said the good weather this month helped construction crews stay on track to open the new four-lane highway in the spring, but no official date has been set.

"We had great weather in November, and that helped us out a lot," she said.

Currently, crews are working on the westbound lanes between Granville in the east and Watkins Road in the west.

Workers are finishing the embankment on the edge of the pavement, the seeding and mulching, and the final striping, pavement markers, signage and fencing.

All traffic has been diverted to the newly constructed two-lane eastbound route.

"There is still a great amount of work that needs completed; we are continuing to work on what we can while the weather is good," Stickle said.

After the weather breaks in the spring, Stickle said, all traffic likely will be switched to the then fully complete westbound lanes so the eastbound lanes could receive a final coat of surface asphalt.

In addition to the main work on Route 161, Stickle said, workers also plan to finish the installation of a concrete barrier median between County Road 539A and Route 161 westbound lanes, just west of Granville.

The road, which turns into Broadway in Granville, also needs its surface coat of asphalt before it opens, she said.

Currently, County Road 539A, as well as Watkins-York Road and Service Road 10, are closed and are expected to reopen in the spring with the rest of the project.

Stickle also said the exit to state Route 37, which runs to Alexandria, is currently closed to westbound drivers, and a detour has them exit at state Route 310 (See inset story).

The Route 37-York Road exit is open for drivers heading eastbound.

Stickle emphasized the need for caution when driving through the area.

"It's a construction zone, so make sure you're aware of the speed limit," she said, noting it is 45 mph throughout the two-lane section. "Just because you don't see construction workers out on the job immediately, there is work going on."

Sgt. Karla Taulbee, a spokesperson for the Ohio State Highway Patrol, has said speed-limit decreases generally are put in place before drivers approach the actual construction zone.

"It is just to slow everyone down before they reach construction," she said.

Taulbee said motorists should obey construction-zone speed limits even in areas where construction isn't obvious.

"There are people walking around; there is a lot of movement, and a lot of traffic is going in and out," she said. "It's to keep our road workers safe, so they don't get hit by a vehicle."

She said the OSHP works closely with ODOT to ensure safety of workers and drivers in construction zones.

"We have officers out to patrol the area around the construction site," she said. "We work closely with ODOT."

According to ODOT, the state Route 161 expansion project is estimated to cost $160-million for the 13-mile stretch.

By 2030, the department estimates, more than 65,000 vehicles would travel the route daily.

Currently, about 22,000 vehicles pass through the state Route 161 corridor daily.

In October 2008, ODOT opened a new seven-mile, four-lane portion of Route 161, completing the first of two phases.

After the second phase is completed, the new road is expected to cut commuting time from Granville to Columbus in half, according to ODOT figures.

The new roadway also is expected to improve safety. According to information from ODOT, the highway should decrease congestion by adding lanes and eliminating dangerous curves.

U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-12th district) said the road cuts down on bottlenecking that needs to be improved in the eastern area.

"This is only the beginning," he said. "Local, state and national government can work to unplug this artery of road."

ThisWeek staff writer Jennifer Noblit contributed to this story.

The state Route 161 widening project is moving along, but some people in Alexandria feel as though the work has come to a dead end -- literally.

Those traveling to Alexandria from the east temporarily have limited access from Route 161, as do drivers traveling west from Alexandria. To reach Alexandria from the east, most drivers are traveling through Granville. To reach Route 16 west from Alexandria, drivers must enter from state Route 310 or U.S. Route 62. Adding insult to injury, a section of Route 62, just before the Route 16 ramp, has been closed for bridge repairs. It's expected to reopen Wednesday, Nov. 25.

Alexandria still is accessible, but with state Route 37's limited access at Route 161, count on driving farther to and fro.

Adam Hammond, owner of Woodmasters, said his biggest problem is in telling people from Columbus how to get to his shop.

"I do a lot of work out of Co-lumbus," he said.

Hammond said he tells them to follow the detour along Duncan Plains Road or Route 310 to Route 62. It helps, he said, that the business has been in its current location for 20 years. Hammond has owned it for the past four years.

At The Salon in Alexandria, Jenny Bilderback said her biggest problem is that the exit signs are for "Johnstown" but not "Alexandria."

"It says it at both locations," she said. "They should have at least put 'Johnstown-Alexandria,'" she said.

She said her hairstylists are having to explain to clients how to get there from Newark.

"It's more inconvenience than anything else," she said.

Christy Alanbari, receptionist at the Alexandria Animal Hospital, said the number of office visits hasn't dropped, but "a lot of our clients have been having trouble finding their way here."

Back in December 2008, The Dispatch reported that some of the businesses along Worthington Road -- the former Route 161 -- were hit hard by the loss of traffic when the new highway opened.

From the concrete apron at the front of his gas station, Ed Zerrei can watch thousands of cars as they zip along on the new highway -- a Hail Mary pass from his empty fuel pumps.

More than 25,000 vehicles once passed Zerrei's business daily. Now hours could go by without a car pulling into the station, he said. If it weren't for his neighbors shopping at his convenience store, he said, he would have closed already.

When the first phase of the new four-lane Route 161 opened in October 2008, business owners along Worthington Road became landlocked from thousands of commuters.

For Zerrei, who owns the Sunoco station, the result has been crippling.

"We're just trying to survive," Zerrei said, looking out over the empty parking lot.

Repeat business is what's keeping the lights on at the car dealership next door to the station.

Charlie Hughes, sales manager at Liberty Dodge Chrysler Jeep, said he was hopeful that word of mouth, increased Internet advertising and a new billboard between the new and old highways would make up the difference.

"I never thought I'd see kids riding bikes down 161 without a car in sight," Hughes said.

Columbus Dispatch reporter Josh Jarman contributed to this story.