SR 136 to close for culvert replacement in Adams County

A three-day closure on State Route 136 will shut traffic between Narrow Gauge Road and Ebrite Road beginning May 26, pushing commuters, school-bus runs, farm traffic and emergency responders onto a detour through SR 137, SR 247, SR 41 and SR 125 before drivers rejoin SR 136.

ODOT says the work is a culvert replacement and that the closure is weather permitting, with completion expected by May 28. The detour is not a simple jog around the work zone, but a five-leg reroute that will force drivers off the most direct path across this part of Adams County.

The reason for the shutdown is basic infrastructure repair. ODOT defines a culvert as a small structure that carries water through an embankment, which is why replacing one can be critical to keeping a roadway stable and draining properly. Drivers can track any changes in timing or closures through OHGO, ODOT’s real-time traffic site, while ODOT District 9, headquartered in Chillicothe, continues to oversee road work in Adams and seven other southern Ohio counties.

For Adams County, SR 136 closures have become a familiar warning sign for how fragile rural travel can be. ODOT closed a different stretch of SR 136 for three days in July 2019 for culvert work, and the corridor has faced other pressure points in recent months, including the Browns Hill Road bridge near SR 136 closing indefinitely in July 2025 after two steel beams failed and one side dropped nearly three inches. West Union’s Kirker Covered Bridge, one of only two remaining covered bridges in Adams County, also drew a public meeting in September 2024 after tornado damage and inspections found rotting wood, foundation issues and other structural concerns. Together, those disruptions show that SR 136 remains a maintenance-sensitive corridor where even short closures can quickly ripple through daily travel across the county.