ODOT lists summer construction projects

VW independent/submitted information

COLUMBUS — A second-straight near-record construction season is underway across Ohio, including three state projects and one local government project in Van Wert County.

This year, the Ohio Department of Transportation will invest $2.3 billion into the state’s roads and bridges, just shy of the record $2.4 billion in investments made in 2014 and 2015.

This construction season will include 1,098 projects, 26 valued at more than $10 million. Workers will pave 6,945 miles of roadway — enough for a two-lane road from Seattle to Key West, and repair or replace 1,281 bridges.

In District 1, contract projects of significance this season include:

• The reconstruction and widening of Interstate 75 through Findlay and Hancock County. The three-year, $113 million project began this month.
• Paving of several routes and improvements within the city of Findlay, Hancock County.
• Bridge repair on Napoleon Road and state Route 103 over Interstate 75, and state Route 103 over the Norfolk Southern Railroad, Allen County.

Significant local projects by ODOT’s own maintenance forces include:

• Multiple culvert replacements on state Route 309 at Thayer Road and between Rumbaugh and Napoleon roads, Allen County.
• Multiple culvert replacements on state Route 103 from Interstate 75 to state Route 235, on state Route 37 at township Road 168, and on state Route 12 between Arcadia and Fostoria, Hancock County.
• Drainage tile installation on state Route 235 between township Road 120 and county Road 110, Hardin County.

In Van Wert County, ODOT will be completing three projects at a cost of $12,649,271, with a local government project costing $433,700 to bring the total for the county to $13,082,971.

ODOT projects in Van Wert County include the following:

• Pavement repairs to 19.33 miles of roadway on the following stretches of highway: Ohio 116, from Middle Point Road to U.S. 127; Ohio 118, from the Mercer County line to Ervin Road in Van Wert; U.S. 127, from Ervin Road to the railroad tracks; U.S. 33, from the Indiana state line to the Mercer County line; Ohio 49, from the Mercer County line to the U.S. 33 overlap; Ohio 81, from the Indiana state line to U.S. 33; and U.S. 224, from Township Road 77 to the railroad tracks. Cost: $3,206,515.
• Minor rehabilitation, including grinding, paving, joint repair, and installation of underdrains in both directions on U.S. 30, just east of Township Road 127 to just east of County Road 185. Cost: $5,820,426.
• Resurfacing of U.S. 30, U.S. 224, rest area ramps, and weigh state ramps and parking lot. Project will also include patching and sealing raised concrete median at the U.S. 224 interchange. Cost: $3,622,330.

The local government project includes pavement repairs and resurfacing from U.S. 224 to just west of Ohio 118. Cost: $433,700.

“Since Gov. John Kasich took office, we have invested an unprecedented $14 billion in Ohio’s infrastructure,” said ODOT Director Jerry Wray. “Our transportation network is Ohio’s greatest man-made asset, and it is our duty to ensure it is in the best condition possible. That’s why 93 cents of every dollar we’re spending on roads and bridges this year will go to preservation.”

Safety is always the top priority, and this year’s construction program will include 191 projects aimed at making our roadways safer. These projects range from reconfigured intersections to additional signage and signals.

“We have seen an increase in the number of traffic deaths in Ohio over the last three years, and we are working hard to reverse this disturbing trend,” Wray said.

ODOT is also working to make the existing system work more efficiently by leveraging technology like the OHGO app, intelligent transportation systems, and recently-approved variable speed limits and smart mobility corridors.

“The easy movement of people and goods from place to place is part of the ODOT mission statement. Those aren’t just words on paper,” Wray said.

Last year, there were 6,041 crashes in work zones resulting in 28 deaths, 186 serious injuries, and 810 minor injuries. The top cause of work zone crashes is following too close. Drivers need to pay extra attention and follow signs and directions in work zones to ensure the safety of workers and motorists.

For a complete list of projects taking place within the eight-county region of ODOT District 1, and for links to all documents provided to the media during the kickoff event click here:

http://www.dot.state.oh.us/districts/D01/Documents/Construction%20Kick-off/2017/Kick-off%20links.pdf.