Storm debris has shut down SR-131 in both directions near Woodward Road in Woodlawn, forcing drivers to find alternate routes as the Princeton corridor continues digging out from severe storms that swept through Aug. 11.
The Ohio Department of Transportation's Cincinnati district announced the closure around 2:55 p.m. Aug. 12, placing the blockage at milepost 15. No reopening time was given. ODOT did not provide a suggested detour.
The closure is one visible piece of the damage left behind by Tuesday's storms, which the Storm Prediction Center has preliminarily classified as part of a derecho that tracked from Iowa through Indiana. The SPC was still assessing whether the system's continuation toward Cincinnati falls within the official derecho designation. The storms triggered tornado warnings across the Tri-State starting around 3 p.m. Aug. 11 and knocked out power to more than 180,000 Duke Energy customers at their peak.
Power still out for 100,000+
As of 7 a.m. Aug. 12, Duke Energy reported 100,981 customers still without power, according to Fox 19. Hamilton County accounted for 59,269 of those outages.
"Crews have restored power to thousands of customers, but fallen trees, broken poles and damaged equipment continue to slow restoration efforts," Duke Energy spokesman John Juech said. The utility has not provided estimated restoration times.
More storms in the forecast
The FOX19 NOW First Alert Weather Team designated the afternoon of Aug. 12 a First Alert Weather Day, with gusty winds, heavy rain, large hail and possible tornadoes in the outlook. Duke Energy warned the additional storms could cause new outages and further delay repairs already underway.
What drivers should do
Drivers should avoid the area near Woodward Road and check ODOT Cincinnati's account on X or visit ODOT's OHGO travel site for updates on the SR-131 closure.
Residents who spot downed trees, power lines or other hazards can report outages to Duke Energy by texting OUT to 57801, calling 800-769-3766 or using the Duke Energy app.
