Greene County road and bridge program approved

0

XENIA — Greene County Commissioners approved about $9 million of funding Thursday to go toward the construction and maintenance of county roads and bridges in 2016.

About $2.7 million of the funding will go to highway maintenance, $3.5 million to highway construction projects throughout the county and $452,000 will go to costs associated with county bridges. About $1.3 million will go to administration and engineering costs. The remaining funds will go to traffic and safety measures; grounds, vehicles and equipment costs; and inspection and testing expenditures.

About 43 miles of paving projects are currently slated for portions of the following roads in 2016: Old Route 35 from the edge of Xenia to Jamestown and resuming on the east side of the village to the edge of the county (13.4 miles), Dayton Yellow Springs Road in Bath and Miami townships (4.4 miles), Jamestown Gunnersville Road in Silvercreek and Jefferson townships (3.7 miles), Alpha Bellbrook Road in Sugarcreek and Beavercreek townships (3.5 miles), Grinnell Road in Miami and Cedarville townships (2.8 miles), Irvin Road in Silvercreek and Jefferson townships (2.8 miles), Indian Ripple Road in Beavercreek Township (2.5 miles), Beaver Valley Road in Beavercreek Township (2.3 miles), Paulin Road in Ross Township (2.2 miles), Swigart Road in Sugarcreek and Beavercreek townships (2.1 miles), Meredith Road in Miami Township (1.3 miles), Stutsman Road in Sugarcreek and Beavercreek townships (1.1 miles), Wagner Road in Sugarcreek Township (1 mile) and South Fairfield Road in Beavercreek Township (.5 miles).

Contracted maintenance projects in 2016 include work at bridges on Lower Bellbrook Road, two bridges on Roxanna New Burlington Road, on Wilberforce Clifton Road and on Engle Mill Road. According to a release from the Greene County Engineer’s Office, county personnel will work on 16 other bridge and culvert projects scheduled for 2016.

Work scheduled also includes the third of three covered bridge restoration efforts in Greene County in the Ballard Road Covered Bridge project. About 80 percent of the project ($560,000) will be paid for out of federal funds. County dollars ($140,000) will make up the remaining 20 percent.

Greene County Engineer Bob Geyer said the county’s bridges “are in real good shape,” and noted that Greene County Bridge Levy funds have been “heaven sent” since the mid-1960s in helping the county stay ahead of the curve on maintenance.

“We’re being prudent with the taxpayer’s dollar and trying to get the most we can for everybody,” he said.

Greene County Administrator Brandon Huddleson praised Geyer for his work in maintaining the county’s bridges at Thursday’s commissioners’ meeting: “All those repairs and the painting and the things that you’re doing to make those last rather than just letting them go … you should be commended for doing that,” he said. “I take comfort in the fact that our bridges are in good shape when everybody else’s seem to be deteriorating.”

File photo Plans call for several Greene County roads to be paved in 2016.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2016/01/web1_snow5.jpgFile photo Plans call for several Greene County roads to be paved in 2016.

By Nathan Pilling

[email protected]

Reach Nathan Pilling at 937-502-4498 or on Twitter @XDGNatePilling.

No posts to display