Mar. 16—NORTH KINGSVILLE — The Ohio Department of Transportation will close another section of Route 531 starting on March 25.

Route 531 will be closed near Monday Drive for erosion repairs. In December of 2022, Route 531 was closed from LaBounty Road to Route 193 due to erosion encroaching on the roadway.

Since then, ODOT contractors have been working on emergency erosion protection, installing sheet piling along the shoreline north of Route 531.

Justin Chesnic, a spokesperson for ODOT, said work on both sections of Route 531 should be completed by the end of May.

“That other section, over by LaBounty Road is closed through some time in May,” he said. “We’ve got some curb work to do over there, and then the asphalt plants will probably open up around mid-April, and we’ll pave there, and then we should be opened up some time in May.”

Chesnic said a number of road cuts were made in the area of LaBounty Road, and they need to be repaired.

The Monday Drive closure will be to install the sheet piling, he said.

Most of the sheet piling has been installed on the section of Route 531 between LaBounty Road and Route 193, Chesnic said.

ODOT is also in the process of acquiring the permits needed to install revetments along the shoreline for longer-term protection, Chesnic said.

About 10 years ago, ODOT installed revetments along Route 531 in Saybrook.

“That’s done a really nice job, on the west side, preventing any erosion, so we’ll be doing the same thing in these areas,” he said.

According ODOT’s web page for the revetment project, the cost of the project is estimated to cost $25 million, and is scheduled to begin construction in 2026, dependent on funding.