'I'm happy that it's getting done.' Residents in Williamsburg Twp. hope wait to reopen nearby bridge ends soon

Alex Applegate lives along Bethel Concord Road in Williamsburg Township. A short walk down the street brings you to what looks like a crater in the earth.

That construction zone is where the Bethel Concord Road bridge was damaged in April 2025.

In May, I met with Applegate as he waited for updates or improvements on the bridge just a few hundred yards from his home.

Seeing heavy machines and other pieces of equipment is a welcome sight for Applegate and his neighbors.

"Driving down the other day and seeing that they were actually working, it was kind of like a good news for the week," Applegate said.

The latest on the work to reopen the Bethel Concord Road Bridge:

Bethel Concord Road bridge under construction about a year and a half after an emergency closure

Earlier this year, we reported on what led to the emergency closure.

The Clermont County Engineer's Office cited "deterioration of the headwall" following an inspection of the infrastructure. Residents were told that the bridge would be closed "until further notice."

When the bridge closure was announced, a detour was put into place. Those who lived north of the bridge had to continue to Concord Hennings Mill Road, then to State Route 133.

The detour is 5.46 miles long, according to the county engineer's office.

"I do appreciate [residents'] patience. I know it's hard. We're all affected by detours every year, in various places. This one has been longer than we would've liked, just again the nature of the circumstances that we found ourselves in here; it's just the way it's been," County Engineer Jeremy Evans said in May.

A bridge replacement was scheduled for 2027, but storm damage last year expedited that plan, according to Evans.

Fast forward to November, and I asked Applegate what it will be like not having to drive along the detour once the project is done.

Itll feel weird not being able to drive that way for so long; I might have to GPS my way back to 133," Applegate said.

Earlier this week, Lyle Bloom, the Chief Deputy Engineer, sent me this update on the project:

"The contractor is still working. There have been delays with material delivery (reinforcing steel) and the rainfall last week did slow them down. They plan to complete the footer pours by the end of next week (11/20). Once the concrete has cured, the structure will be delivered and set the week of 11/30. These dates are all tentative and weather dependent. We still hope to have the bridge reopened to vehicular traffic before the end of the year; however, we cannot provide any guarantees at this time."

There was progress; that's the biggest thing. And then, seeing a constant flow of concrete trucks coming down for the past few days. Im happy that its getting done," Applegate said.