WAITING — Vehicles waited on the northbound lanes of state Route 7 Tuesday as intermittent blasting operations alongside the highway necessitated a traffic block by police. -- Christopher Dacanay

Particularly during the warmer months of 2023, drivers may have found themselves in a seemingly inexplicable, roughly 15-minute traffic delay, going either direction on state Route 7 between Steubenville and Mingo Junction.

Those delays result from the rockfall remediation project being conducted by the Ohio Department of Transportation.

Started last spring and scheduled to conclude in summer 2025, the roughly $23 million project’s goal is to shave down the hillside overlooking Route 7’s southbound lane. Action was deemed necessary to mitigate landslide risks following a significant slide in March 2020 that restricted the southbound road to a single lane.

Remediation work by Kokosing, the project’s prime contractor, has required removing greenery from atop the hill and its face, preparing the way for blasting operations. Utilizing charges loaded into holes drilled in the hillside, detonations are used to excavate the hillside.

Occurring at noon on weekdays depending on the weather, blasting is a meticulous science, officials with the project said during a town hall meeting with Mingo Junction residents July 11, and safety is a priority.

To ensure the safety of motorists, both lanes of Route 7 around the project site are closed to traffic for a roughly 15-minute period as the blasts are detonated. Contractors then check the lanes for any debris and clear the lanes before opening them back up to traffic.

Local police do the physical blocking of traffic at three key points: Northbound at Mingo Junction’s Murdock Avenue ramps, southbound just past Steubenville’s Railroad Avenue ramp and at Mingo Junction’s Logan Avenue on-ramp.

Apart from the Logan Avenue position that gets one officer, the other two positions each ideally receive two officers to block the traffic, said Patrol Officer Ashley Close of the Mingo Junction Police Department.

Gathering police for the job comes through conversations among Mingo Junction Police Chief Willie McKenzie III and individuals with Kokosing, who lay out their blasting plans, Close said. On blasting day, police and Kokosing communicate over the radio to make sure everyone is in their proper position at the right time and the lanes have been completely cleared of traffic before blasting begins.

ODOT has warned motorists to be aware of scheduled blasting operations and plan their travel around them to prevent getting caught in the traffic delays. Blasting itself will always occur as close to noon as possible on weekdays, although other traffic delays may be necessary for safety purposes of the project, said Lauren Borrell, public information officer for ODOT Eastern Ohio District 11.

In case of other traffic delays, if ODOT District 11 has enough prior notice, it will announce the affected times through social media, OHGO.com and e-mail, Borrell said. Those wanting to receive current and upcoming construction maintenance updates can visit transportation.ohio.gov and enter their e-mail at the bottom of the page to subscribe.

For those drivers who either weren’t aware of the blasting or neglected to plan around it, their only choice is to wait if they find themselves being stopped.

Close said of drivers caught in the traffic: “They don’t beep their horns, but they have come out and asked how long it’s going to be, what’s going on. Not many people who get stopped have the best attitude.”

Close noted that some drivers, seemingly impatient with the situation, have made illegal movements to escape the wait. At the Logan Avenue on-ramp, for example, Close said she’s seen multiple cars turn around and drive down the one-way ramp. That behavior could potentially cause a head-on collision, Close said, adding that she’s unable to stop the cars while blocking traffic from the ramp’s mouth.

“Most people are just upset because they may be en route to work or a job interview or to pick up a family member, and they just didn’t know the hours when blasting was taking place,” Close said. “People are getting the memo (about) when it’ll be taking place so they can find an alternate route or leave earlier.”

Borrell said the ODOT hasn’t received any direct complaints about the traffic delays, but she has seen some complaints posted to social media.

“Most people understand once they know why the traffic was stopped, but we certainly understand the frustration,” Borrell said. “The project is in our system, which reports to navigation systems such as Waze, Google Maps, Apple Maps. So, for anyone that may be caught up in the delay, they can look it up to see what it is for.”

One day had a period from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. designated for potential blasts and accompanying traffic delays. Assisting the Mingo Junction Police Department in blocking traffic were members of the Steubenville Police Department and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department.

Caught in a delay at roughly 9 a.m. was Jason Sowers, who was transporting scrap from Mingo Junction to Pittsburgh. Sowers said the traffic delays were an issue for him, putting him behind schedule, and the idling cost him an estimated half a tank of gas.

Some individuals on the road then could have taken routes that circumvent the traffic delays by utilizing bridges in Wheeling or the Wellsburg-Brilliant bridge.

Brandon Perko was on his way from Bridgeport to Wintersville for work. This was Perko’s second time getting delayed for blasting, and he said it’s not too inconvenient, as it will only make him a few minutes late.

“It is what it is, you can’t control everything,” Perko said.

Zoe Jones was returning home to Steubenville from school at Ohio University in Athens, having been driving since early in the morning. Jones said she’s been caught in the delays before — although previously it didn’t seem as lengthy — and she said she’s not too inconvenienced, adding, “I would like to be back home though.”

Richard Murillo, a service technician for National Equipment Co., said the delay will affect his arrival time for an appointment in Weirton, having come from Wheeling.

This was the first time getting caught in traffic for Gina Cappiccie, a nurse practitioner from Wheeling who travels once per week to work at Dixon Healthcare Center in Wintersville. Cappiccie was surprised to hear about the blasting operations, which she was unfamiliar with.