Photo via Katie Rausch/The Blade

A new construction project on Interstate 75 in Ohio is scheduled to start this fall, adding to the frustrations of drivers.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the seven-phased Thru the Valley project will begin on 8 mi. (12.9 km) of I-75. The project will begin as the current Mill Creek Expressway Project is underway. Both projects add lanes on north and southbound I-75 and involve resurfacing and interchange work.

Tractor-trailer driver and regular I-75 commuter Tom Hoeper, of Clermont County, said the construction has been "a long-time coming."

"This is and has been a real pain," Hoeper said.

The road work is part of the state's effort to upgrade a heavily-traveled traffic corridor. A spokesman for the Ohio Department of Transportation District 8 said this will be the first time I-75 has been rebuilt since original construction from the 1940s to 1960s.

"There have been incremental things done, but not to this extent," he said.

The combined cost of both Thru the Valley and Mill Creek Expressway projects is more than $1 billion. Phase 1 and Phase 2 of Through the Valley cost Ohio $8.5 million.

Many of the phases of the Mill Creek Expressway project are complete or nearly complete. More phases will begin this summer. The estimated completion date for the first two phases of Through the Valley is 2020. The completion date for the entire project is yet to be determined.

Motorist can expect continuous changes in traffic patterns and lane restrictions.

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