Heads up! New Akron detours for state Route 8 bridge construction start Dec. 1

The next phase of the Route 8 bridge replacement project means some new detours for Akron drivers beginning Monday.

All three lanes of northbound traffic will be shifted onto the recently completed southbound bridge, and the on-ramp from Perkins Street to Route 8 north will be closed for the next two years, said Ohio Department of Transportation District 4 spokesperson Ray Marsch.

This will allow workers to start construction on the new northbound bridge, Marsch said.

“We have half of this project done,” Marsch said. “Over the next few months, we are going to implode the old bridge and begin building the new northbound bridge.”

The project began in 2023, and the new southbound bridge was recently completed. All three lanes of southbound traffic have already been moved to the new bridge