BOARDMAN — A bridge replacement along U.S. Route 224 is set to begin next week and the project may overlap with a massive overhaul of the road, which is scheduled to begin in spring 2026.

The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission will begin replacing the bridge over Route 224 on Monday, and the two-phase project will extend into summer of 2026, coinciding with the Ohio Department of Transportation’s planned $20.3 million widening project.

While the two projects will be miles apart, multiple lane reductions at opposite ends could exacerbate congestion along one of Mahoning County’s most-heavily traveled stretches for a few months.

Turnpike spokesperson Charles Cyrill said the bridge over the turnpike is more than 70 years old and in need of replacement. The turnpike completed two rehabilitation projects on the bridge during that time — one in 1989 and another in 2016 — but it has reached the end of its useful life.

Cyrill said the entire bridge will be replaced, taking it from a five-span bridge to a two-span bridge in two phases. Maintenance of traffic will begin on both the Ohio Turnpike and Route 224 beginning Monday.

While traffic on the turnpike will not be affected, 224 traffic will be reduced from two lanes in each direction to one lane in each direction on the existing westbound lanes of the bridge, he said.

“Phased construction is the only way the bridge can be constructed and maintain traffic,” Cyrill said.

After traffic maintenance is established, the eastbound side of the bridge will be removed and replaced during Phase I, which is scheduled to be complete in mid-November.

Then traffic will shift onto the eastbound lanes of the new bridge and Phase II will begin, removing and replacing the westbound side. That phase is scheduled to run into mid-August and be completed before the Canfield Fair begins.

The bridge replacement might have begun sooner, but Cyrill said the project was delayed because it had to be withdrawn from public bidding temporarily.

“There were some utility conflicts that could not be resolved in a timely manner and required plan revisions,” he said. “This postponement also reduced possible lengthy delays during construction that would have had an adverse effect on local traffic.”

The project went back out for bid in December. Ruhlin Construction of Medina County secured the project with a bid of $10,089,220.

The bridge lies in the Starrs Corners area, near the Canfield border, between Tippecanoe Road and South Raccoon Road. Traffic access to local businesses will be maintained during the project.

While next year’s Canfield Fair will likely be unaffected, this year’s event will be.

“Fortunately, the state Route 11 interchange at U.S. Route 224 has direct access to the Canfield Fairgrounds and travelers may opt to use that route as an alternate way of driving to the fair,” Cyrill said.

ODOT’s widening project, announced last year, will add an eastbound and westbound lane, remove some red lights, add a central median strip along with turning lanes and U-turns, and implement right-in, right-out only turns along the entire stretch from Market Street to Tiffany Boulevard.

ODOT District 4 Spokesman Ray Marsch said that while the project is on track to begin in the spring, he’s not sure if the department has set a definitive start date.

“We’ll certainly coordinate anything we need to with the Ohio Turnpike as their project continues,” he said.

Traffic on 224 during that same time likely also will be affected by a $9 million Mahoning County project along Glenwood Avenue, which will restripe the road from Midlothian Boulevard to Western Reserve Road and install a roundabout at Wildwood Drive.