If you've driven south on Pickerington Road toward U.S. 33 lately, you've crossed the highway at a different spot. ODOT's Fairfield County traffic page, last updated October 15, 2026, says traffic has moved from Old Pickerington Road onto a temporary Pickerington Road. The intersection itself now sits somewhere new.
The shift comes early in the project. ODOT's project page lays out a schedule that runs to summer 2028. The changes that will reshape familiar routes, like losing direct highway access from Thorn Lane and Allen Road, are timed for the end of the project. The project trades several stop-and-go crossings for one connection built to interchange standards. Anyone who uses those side roads will get their new routine last.
What the project replaces
ODOT says the project replaces two at-grade crossings: the intersection of Pickerington Road and U.S. 33, and the place where Pickerington Road crosses the railroad tracks at street level. It also builds public service roads that connect nearby residential areas. After the interchange is finished, the at-grade intersections of Allen Road and U.S. 33 will close.
ODOT and regional partners started studying the U.S. 33 corridor from I-270 to the Lancaster Bypass in the early 2000s. Planning for a Pickerington Road interchange began in 2019 and 2020. ODOT says it chose Pickerington Road over Allen Road for three reasons:
- It connects better to the local road network.
- It can carry current and projected traffic from schools, public services and residential areas.
- It raised fewer concerns about floodplains and emergency response.
That choice explains the rest of the timeline. Pickerington Road was picked to carry the load, so the side connections that now handle part of that traffic get closed off once the new interchange can take over.
The Fairfield County Economic Development newsletter put the price tag at more than $70 million in its November 2025 edition.
Why the county engineer pushed for ramps
Fairfield County Engineer Jeremiah Upp called U.S. 33 at Pickerington Road the most dangerous intersection in the county in an interview with 10TV. He described what the finished design is meant to remove:
"So by putting an overpass and an interchange there, we will not have those stop-and-go accidents like we have now. People will exit on an exit ramp [and] they'll enter on an entrance ramp. They're all designed to today's standards. So you have plenty of time to merge in [and] you have longer merging links."
The same 10TV report said the finished interchange will look similar to the Carroll and Hill-Diley Road interchanges. If you drive U.S. 33 regularly, you already know how those work.
The rollout has been gradual. The Lancaster Eagle-Gazette reported on August 8, 2025 that ODOT had started minor preliminary work aimed at the sometimes-long traffic backups at the intersection. 10TV said drivers wouldn't see major closures or many crews right away, that most of the work would become noticeable the following summer, and that the project would be finished in 2028. The temporary road now in use shows that the visible phase has arrived.
This winter: barriers, ramps and three bridges
The phase ODOT labels Summer 2026 to Spring 2027 is the one underway this fall. Traffic stays open on both U.S. 33 and Pickerington Road, with concrete barriers along the shoulders. Crews start building the new ramps between Pickerington Road and U.S. 33. Three new bridges go up:
- Pickerington Road over U.S. 33
- A bridge over the Indiana & Ohio Railway
- A bridge over Sycamore Creek
In everyday terms, driving through this winter means narrower shoulders and work zones. It shouldn't mean a lost route. ODOT's first phase, Summer 2025 to Summer 2026, called for widening the U.S. 33 bridge over Sycamore Creek, building north and south connector roads, and making connections to Thorn Lane, all scheduled well before any old access closes.
All ODOT work in the county is listed as weather permitting. The phases are seasonal windows, not fixed dates.
2027 and 2028: when your route actually changes
This is the part of the schedule to remember. Most of the closures and detours that affect specific roads come after spring 2027, and the permanent access changes come at the very end.
| Road | What ODOT has scheduled | ODOT's window |
|---|---|---|
| Benadum Road | Realigned to meet the Pickerington Road intersection. Eastbound closed for about 30 days with a posted detour, westbound stays open | Spring 2027 to Summer 2027 |
| Pickerington Road | Northbound traffic detoured while the road is rebuilt one side at a time, southbound stays open. Removal of the temporary road begins | Summer 2027 to Fall 2027 |
| U.S. 33 | Lane closures in both directions for final paving and striping. The remaining ramps are finished | Fall 2027 to Spring 2028 |
| Thorn Lane | Access to U.S. 33 removed | Fall 2027 to Spring 2028 |
| Temporary Pickerington Road | Fully removed | Fall 2027 to Spring 2028 |
| Allen Road | Access to U.S. 33 permanently removed, with cul-de-sacs installed | Spring 2028 to Summer 2028 |
Read top to bottom, the table shows the project's logic. The temporary detours of 2027 are what it takes to build the permanent road. The closures of 2028 are the point of the project. By summer 2028, ODOT expects all final connections and traffic patterns to be in place.
If you live off Allen Road or Thorn Lane, your trip onto U.S. 33 won't change much this winter. It changes for good near the end. Allen Road becomes cul-de-sacs at the highway, and Thorn Lane loses its direct access. The connector roads scheduled for the first phase are meant to carry that traffic toward Pickerington Road.
The northbound Pickerington Road detour in summer and fall of 2027 is the stretch most likely to change a daily commute for people heading north from U.S. 33 toward Pickerington. ODOT hasn't published the detour route yet, so check the live sources below once that phase gets closer.
The other Violet Township project that just finished
Not every project on the county list is years from done. The new roundabout at State Route 204 and Toll Gate Road, which ODOT also lists as Violet Township Road 225, has reopened to traffic. ODOT says to expect short, occasional lane closures with flaggers. While it was closed, the posted detour sent drivers from SR 204 to SR 310 to I-70 to SR 256 and back to SR 204, a long way around for a single intersection. ODOT had expected the road to reopen in October 2026, and it did.
The roundabout gives a quick preview of the bigger project's pattern. You live with a long detour for a while, then get a permanent intersection designed so traffic doesn't have to stop and start.
Where to check before you drive
ODOT updates its traffic impact listings weekly and sorts them by county.
- ODOT's Fairfield County traffic impacts page for current and new impacts on the interchange and the roundabout
- OHGO for live travel conditions and work zones
- ODOT District 5 on Facebook and Twitter for Fairfield County construction updates
- The U.S. 33 and Pickerington Road project page for the full phase schedule
The Benadum Road closure in spring 2027 is the next one on ODOT's schedule that will reroute a specific local road. That makes it a good one to put on your calendar now.
When these projects change how you get onto U.S. 33, they also change which streets feel close to the highway, and that question comes up whenever someone around Pickerington thinks about moving or selling. If you'd like to talk through what the 2028 road layout could mean for your street, Cory Neville is glad to share what's happening across Fairfield County. Let's Connect.
