The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Road construction projects wrap-up
Lorain County road engineers have started wrapping up their road projects and begun the planning phase for next year.
“We’ve completed a dozen or so projects, that’s usually the case each year,” said Dale Vandersommen, engineer for the city of Lorain. “We try to wrap things up before the end of the year as best we can.”
Vandersommen said the last two major projects are Nantucket Drive and West 29th Street.
“We are in the process of pouring West 29th Street,” he said. “We did the north lane of the road, and now we will pour the south lane.
“Roads wear down over time, so we have to pour and smooth it out. West 29th Street will be done by Nov. 30, pending weather. We will be tearing down North Nantucket Drive and fixing certain areas. Nantucket should be done by Dec. 7.”
Vandersommen said Kolbe Road will is next year’s major project.
“As we look ahead, we will be doing a Kolbe Road project around the springtime in 2019,” he said. “We will be milling down the road by three inches and adding fresh asphalt in its place.”
Vandersommen said projects are determined mathematically.
“Service distress is determined based on the road conditions,” he said. “Roads are analyzed based on cracks, potholes and other abnormalities. Based on that analysis, we look at what roads have the greatest need and work on them first.”
Bob Klaiber, assistant engineer for Lorain County, said county projects are all pretty much done.
“We take care of the roads in the townships, and they are all wrapped up for the most part,” Klaiber said. “Our biggest project was the extension of (state) Route 301 in Lagrange.
“We worked on the pavement, the siding and added a third lane for left turns. It was done due to the level of traffic on the road.”
Klaiber said the year’s projects also included some
work on bridges.
“We did work on Island Road, in Eaton Township,” he said. “We are currently working on a guardrail for a bridge on Nickle Plate Diagonal Road, between Whitehead Road and Parsons Road, in Carlisle Township which should be done by Nov. 30.
“We have a lot of those bridges in the county, and we are required to inspect the bridges every year to see what we need to work on.”
Klaiber said getting projects done by the end of the year can prove worrisome.
“Sometimes you wonder if you will be able to finish on time,” he said. “It’s about coordinating with asphalt pavement contractors and making sure it gets done. It’s about sticking to a schedule as best you can, and it usually works out for us.”
Kathryn McKillips, project engineer for the city of Elyria, said this year, the city rehabilitated East Avenue between 4th and 16th streets.
“The city used Ohio Public Works Commission funds to resurface the road,” McKillips said. “While the city was improving the pavement, it made sense to move forward with the installation of a relief sewer which was planned for several years out and new water mains now so that the
new pavement would not have to be disturbed in the near future.
“East Bridge Street was also resurfaced and is complete. This was due to the pavement being deteriorated in several spots, especially under the railroad bridge.”
McKillips said the Gulf Road project is not yet complete.
“Gulf Road between the Wastewater Treatment Plant and Vista Court remains closed to through traffic,” she said. “The road was resurfaced last week, but the hill area between Whitman Boulevard and Vista Court still requires additional concrete work for drainage purposes. It is projected to be completed by the end of December.”
McKillips said West River Road South also received some attention.
“West River Road South was resurfaced from Infirmary Road south to the city Limits,” she said. “This project was managed by the Lorain County Engineer’s Office and is complete.”
McKillips said the city currently is looking at two projects for next year.
“Two projects for next year are Chestnut Ridge Resurfacing and West Ave Resurfacing and Improvements,” she said.