ASHLAND — An underground bridge replacement project on West Main Street is on time and on budget, Ashland County’s engineer announced Friday.
Engineer Ed Meixner met with Ashland County commissioners on Friday to show them the progress made on an underground bridge that’s been under construction since June 3.
Meixner said contractors haven’t run into surprises underground, and that removal of the old bridge could begin in the next week or two.
Commissioners hired Adena Corporation in May for the $998,830 project. It involves taking out the old bridge and installing a new one, all in the public right-of-way. The public right-of-way happens to be West Main Street.
So the main thoroughfare will be closed for the summer between Broad and Race streets. The detour involves using Race Street and Sandusky Avenue. Access to the Ashland Cemetery has not been affected by the construction.
The few homeowners who live in the construction site have lost access to their driveways. They park on the street, Meixner said.
“They’ve been really great to work with,” Meixner said of the homeowners.
The old bridge — officials have estimated it is up to a century old — is made of sandstone. The stones, once removed, will be stored by the county, Meixner said.
Bob DeSanto, a commissioner with the Ashland County Parks District, said the parks district might be interested in the stones to use at various parks. He also wondered if contractors had found any interesting historical relics.
Meixner said nothing of interest had been found in the ground.
Funds
The road is an extension of an Ashland County road that happens to run through the city, requiring the two governmental entities to partner.
The city, in December 2022, approved a resolution that agreed to provide the county with 15,000 tons of asphalt grindings in return for a funded project.
The county is paying for the project with $436,083 from a combination of American Rescue Plan Act allocation and gas tax funds.
Another $500,000 grant from the Ohio Public Works Commission helped toward the funding.