COAL GROVE — Work on the hillside along U.S. 52 near the Ashland bridges is expected to be completed by early July, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.

Kathleen Fuller, the public information officer for the agency, said crews are in the process of removing rock and will build a buttress underneath to shore up the hillside. They will also construct a catch wall.

A house-sized boulder fell from the cliff along the road in April 2015, closing three of the road’s four lanes.

One lane of the westbound is closed while crews work on the project.

Fuller said there are several parts of the project, in addition to the work near the bridge, with a good deal of work scheduled for the Crabtree Hollow area.

She said, at some point, all four lanes of the road will be closed as a safety precaution while crews are blasting, but no timetable has been set yet.

For the time being, only one lane will be closed and Fuller said the agency will notify the public well in advance of larger closures.

The completion date is set for July 1, but she said this is depending on weather, which could push the work into mid-July.