Vinton County Engineer Orders Road Closure Starting April 13

A road closure ordered by Vinton County Engineer Roy A. DePue, P.E., P.S., is set to take effect Monday, April 13, and will remain in place until further notice, according to an alert distributed by the Vinton County Emergency Management Agency.

The specific road affected was not identified in the initial public notice. Residents seeking the exact location, detour route, and project scope should contact the Engineer's Office directly at 740-790-7014 or by email at engineer@vintonco.com. The office is located at 100 East Main Street in McArthur. DePue and his staff are also the appropriate contacts for questions about the project's funding source, contractor, timeline, and what conditions would trigger an earlier reopening.

In a county where forested terrain and sparse road networks are the norm, even a single closure can add significant travel time for school buses, farm equipment operators, and residents whose driveways or mail delivery routes depend on the affected road. Anyone with access issues tied to this closure, including agricultural equipment passage or residential driveway concerns, should reach the Engineer's Office at the number above.

EMA Director William Faught's agency distributed the closure alert through the county's Hyper Reach mass notification system. Residents not yet enrolled in that system can sign up at hyper-reach.com/ohvintonsignup.html or by calling 740-669-7798 to receive future road closure and emergency alerts directly. Faught's office can be reached at 740-596-3524 or ema@vintonco.com.

DePue, who has held the county engineer post since 2017, oversees maintenance and repair of all county roads and bridges, and is responsible for the annual bridge field inspections submitted to the Ohio Department of Transportation. Before joining Vinton County, he spent 26 years as a senior engineer and DOT subject matter expert on federal Department of Energy projects at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant site in Piketon, working with contractors including Lockheed Martin, Bechtel Jacobs, and Fluor Corp.

The Engineer's Office will post updates as the project progresses.