NELSONVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Officials working on a new bypassroad that cuts through a national forest
in southeast Ohio say the stateis spending more than $10 million to make sure wildlife and theenvironment
are protected.The four-lane $175 million Nelsonvillebypass on U.S. 33 is expected to be completed this fall.
Around 60percent of the bypass is on Wayne National Forest land.Extraordinarymeasures were taken to mitigate
the impact of putting a highway throughthe forest, Anthony Durm, the Ohio Department of
Transportation’sproject manager for environmental issues on the bypass project, told TheAthens Messenger
(http://bit.ly/1bBKvqm )."I’m not aware of
any project within Ohio that has gotten involved in mitigation on so many levels as this one has," Durm
said.The environmental mediation work on the project costs about $10.4 million, ODOT spokesman David Rose
said.Stateofficials have dealt with wildlife, plant life, recreation, aesthetics,water and soil and mine
acid drainage in building the four-lane highwaythrough Ohio’s only national forest. Measures include fences
to keepdeer off the highway and underpasses for smaller animals.Durm said the project could be a model for
others that warrant such measures.Onmost projects, the state buys land for right of way. On the
Nelsonvillebypass, much of the right of way is an easement through the nationalforest. More than 350 acres
of the forest are affected by the highway,including both the pavement and right of way.The forest
coversalmost a quarter million acres of Appalachian foothills. U.S. 33 isheavily used by motorists traveling
to Ohio University in Athens frompoints all over the state. The bypass is expected to relieve trafficjams on
the two-lane road through Nelsonville.___Information from: The Athens Messenger, http://www.athensmessenger.com/Copyright 2013
The Associated Press.