The 21st Street/Ohio 16 interchange project has caused problematic delays around the city for weeks as traffic has been diverted to alternative routes during the road construction. Commuters have not been the only ones whose lives have been altered by the construction project.
A 45-year-old employee was injured in a construction accident at the site early morning yesterday, Thursday, October 21, 2010. The accident occurred at 8:30 a.m., according to the 911 center that services Licking County. She is reportedly in a stable condition.
The female construction worker is an employee of Shelly & Sands Inc., located in Zanesville and contracted to work on the interchange project. Emergency personnel with the Newark Fire Department responded to the 911 call and brought the woman to the open field next to John Clem Elementary School where an emergency helicopter would be able to safely land.
The MedFlight crew transferred the woman to Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio where emergency room nurses and doctors tended to the serious injuries that she sustained in the construction accident. Hospital doctors reported that the woman in now in a stable condition.
After the woman was safely secured in the helicopter and on her way to Riverside Methodist, employees returned to their work at the construction site. Newark City Engineer Brian Morehead said that the project is on schedule and set to be completed by November 22, 2010. The plans for the project had been in the works for years and were implemented by the Ohio Department of Transportation earlier than planned as advance funding became available.
Source: The Newark Advocate “Woman in stable condition after construction injury” 10/22/10; “City engineer: 21st Street interchange project on schedule” Amy Hollon 10/9/10