Sugarcreek survives 45 days waiting for sR 39 work to finish

Closing a road may seem like an minor detail that is simply a slight annoyance, but when businesses and tourism rely heavily on traffic rolling through town along a state route, it can be a larger headache than one might think.

That was what Sugarcreek was facing this summer with the closure of state Route 39 east of the village, where Ohio Department of Transportation worked on carving down a dangerous section of road near Kimble Co. between Sugarcreek and Dover.

The project took 45 days, more than six weeks for the business community in Sugarcreek, which saw a significant detour taking place that took travelers from Dover around the village.

The project, which began July 8, came to its fruition on Friday, Aug. 23 at 5 p.m., when ODOT officials were true to their word and had the road open for travel.

Bev Keller, Sugarcreek Business Association president, said it was a trying time but one that saw the community come together, working as one to get through the period.

“It wasn’t easy,” Keller said. “Some of our local businesses were hurt by the closure, and it’s painful to see that happen. We are overjoyed that the project has been completed on time and that everything can now get back to normal. We are without a doubt ready to get back on track and welcome everyone with open arms.”

She said while it’s sometimes easy to complain about major traffic coming into town during peak travel times, that is now a condition area businesses will welcome with gratitude.

Keller said while businesses were affected, events like the fireworks display that took place in town also saw fewer numbers than expected.

“We had lower numbers, but Northeast Ohio Fireworks did a great job, and we still had a terrific show,” Keller said.

She said one positive was many local people showed great support for local businesses by shopping locally as much as possible.

While it was taxing for local downtown businesses in particular, Keller said they understood the necessity to fix the dangerous part of state Route 39 that has seen plenty of accidents, some of them fatal.

She praised ODOT for adhering to the timeline and getting the work done in a manner that will allow safer travel for everyone.

“We are very thankful to ODOT for keeping us informed about everything going on and for their work,” Keller said. “It wasn’t easy on us, and it wasn’t easy for them. It was just one of those things that was a necessity for the safety of everyone, and we appreciate being a trusted community partner with ODOT, and we are hoping that this work does the trick and cuts down on those accidents and near misses because, ultimately, we all know how dangerous that intersection is, and it has reshaped the history of Sugarcreek and some community members, so we understand the need. We hope this work accomplishes what it should because nobody needs another family ripped apart because of a car accident.”

Another positive that arose from the situation was the people and businesses of Sugarcreek grew closer together through the closure, and after 45 days of waiting, Sugarcreek is now back to business in a usual capacity, something all the local businesses and residents have been looking forward to for some time.