MONROE — It won’t be long and the backup along Interstate 75 near the Ohio 63 exit will return. This time, The Big Orange Barrels won’t be the blame.

Instead, it will be The Big Guy again.

Certainly, you remember the King of Kings, the 62-foot statue of Jesus on the Solid Rock Church property that greeted motorists with wide arms as they traveled along Interstate 75.

It became a tourist attraction, one of the most photographed monuments in the state, and one reason the traffic sometimes snarled.

Jesus served as the H in O-H-I-O when Buckeye fans stopped along the highway, jumped out of their vehicles, and posed for a quick keepsake.

He took on a life of His own.

And more nicknames than rapper Sean Combs. The Jesus statue was, among other things, called Big Butter Jesus, Big J, Quicksand Jesus, Terminator Jesus, and its most popular, Touchdown Jesus.

Comedian Heywood Banks wrote and performed his novelty song “Big Butter Jesus” about the statue.

He was the landmark everyone recognized. Tell your out-of-town friends you live in Springboro, and they’re puzzled.

Tell those same people you live three exits north of the Jesus statue, and they know exactly where you live.

He was Mr. GPS.

Then, just as quickly, He was gone, taken away too soon like some of the greats before Him. The 16,000-pound statue, made from a core of Styrofoam covered by a thin skin of fiberglass, was destroyed by a lightning strike and subsequent fire on June 15, 2010.

After the fire, the church announced it was going to rebuild the statue using fireproof material. Some people apparently believe lightning can strike twice.

Now, it appears — like the church’s flashing marquee announced after the fire — “He’ll Be Back.”

The new statue of Jesus, titled “Light of the World,” was scheduled to shine this week, said Solid Rock Church Administrator Ron Carter, though there were no signs of its pending arrival.

The 50-foot replacement is about a year behind schedule, primarily because one of the main contractors pulled out of the project.

He’ll be back soon, and when He returns, get your cameras ready, and keep your foot on the brake.

Contact this columnist at (513) 705-2842 or rmccrabb@coxohio.com.