DARKE COUNTY — More than $3.3 million in improvements for Darke County roads and bridges is scheduled for 2017.
An estimated $3,332,754 will be spent, according to the Darke County Engineer Jim Surber.
The Darke County Highway Department crew will resurface six county roads (21.93 miles), chip-seal 12 county road sections (19.09 miles), build six new bridges, and rehabilitate five to seven county bridges during the year. Four of the bridges are on county roads, while nine are township bridges.
The $3.3 million estimate does not include scheduled repairs for city, village or state roads and bridges in 2017.
Among the roads scheduled to be resurfaced are Hollansburg-Sampson Road (from New Madison-Coletown to U.S. 127); Pitsburg-Laura Road (from Gettysburg-Pitsburg to Miami Co. Line); Meeker Road (from Ohio 49 to Greenville Corp.); Hogpath Road (from Ohio 571 to Miami Co. Line); New Madison-Coletown Road (from Hollansburg-Sampson to Ohio 502); and Requarth Road (from Greenville Corp. to Arcanum-Bears Mill).
Estimated cost for resurfacing of the 21.93 miles of roads is $1,812,500. Surber says $400,000 of the amount will come from an Ohio Public Works Commission grant.
Among county roads slated to be chip-sealed are Brock-Cosmos; Frazers; Althoff; Coates; Hillgrove-Southern; Hollansburg-Tampico; Bechtol; Conover; Day; Moore; Payne; and Pickett. Cost for the 19.09 miles of chip-sealing is estimated at $326,900.
Bridges on Conover, Clapp, Mendenhall, Hillgrove-Woodington, New Harrison-Bradford, and Spidel Roads are scheduled for rebuild. Those slated for rehabilitation include bridges on Gettysburg-Southeastern, Wagner, Grise, Pitsenbarger, Coletown-Lightsville, Rossburg-Lightsville, and Young Roads.
Total estimated cost for bridge repair/rehabilitation is $728,405, with the actual county cost estimated at $412,234.
As well, the county’s road crews will be adding pavement markings to roads, performing crack sealing, and installing new road signs. Further, initial work for the reconstruction of Chase Road will commence in 2017, with utility relocations, removal of trees and obstacles from the right of way, culvert and drainage reconstruction, and widening of road shoulders scheduled.
Of the total $3.3 million cost estimate, Surber said the county’s share of the bill will be approximately $2,503,244.
“Local funds come from gas tax and license fees returned monthly to the county by the State of Ohio for local highway operations,” said Surber. “No real estate taxes, sales taxes, or County General Fund money is provided for any of this work.”
“This work listed is in addition to the year’s normal road and bridge maintenance,” he added.
For further information on this year’s county road and bridge repairs, contact Surber by email at [email protected] or Highway Department Superintendent Shane Coby by email at [email protected].
