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County engineer presents road and bridge program

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XENIA — Greene County Engineer Bob Geyer presented the 2017 Road and Bridge Program at a Board of Commissioners meeting Jan. 19.

The grand total for this year’s program runs slightly lower than last year’s at 8.6 million, Geyer said at the meeting.

Highway maintenance — including pavement maintenance, general highway maintenance, mowing and weeding, and snow and ice control — comes to a grand total of $2.9 million.

Highway construction, which encompasses construction by force account (guardrails) and construction by contract (roads, bridges and traffic signals) adds up to $4.4 million, with the county share totaling $2.6 million.

The construction by contract includes a “busy” program this year, Geyer said, referencing the overlay program for 10 miles, the chip seal program for 14 miles, and the micro surfacing program for 7 miles.

Geyer also discussed two bridges that need replacement, one on McBee Road and the other on South Street in Cedarville.

Upper Bellbrook Road will also need widening, which will add a third lane, starting at Feedwire Road.

“We’re hoping to get rid of a lot of the school-day traffic … getting left turns out of through-traffic so people can get in and out a lot easier,” Geyer said.

This is a $600,000 project, half of the funds provided by Ohio Public Works Project and half as the county’s share.

A new traffic signal will be constructed on Brown Road, where Geyer says there are major issues involving left-hand turns.

“In the interest of public safety, in the interest of residents of Greene County, in the interest of the two major businesses there … I think it’s important to put the signal up,” the county engineer said.

Upgraded traffic signals will also be installed on Wilmington Pike — from State Route 725 through the interchange at I-675 — in a joint project with Centerville.

Ten bridges in the county will receive maintenance and repairs, such as paint and new beams, in an effort to expand the life of the bridges.

Other expenses in the 2017 report include the manufacture of signs, maintenance of grounds, inspection and testing, and administration and engineering.

Geyer stated that he believed most of the plans in the report will be done, but that the paving program is currently tentative, depending on upcoming weather.

“This winter has proven to be rather mild, but it’s also been extremely hard on the roads because of the freeze cycle. Normally it gets cold and it stays cold and we don’t go through this until spring, but we’ve had four major freeze-thaws since December so it’s taken a heavier toll on the roads,” Geyer said.

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By Anna Bolton

[email protected]

Reach Anna Bolton at 937-502-4498.