ASHLAND — Ashland County commissioners are going to use money from the American Rescue Plan Act and gas and motor vehicle tax revenue to fund the replacement of an underground bridge on West Main Street.
Ashland County Engineer Ed Meixner requested the money Tuesday during a regularly scheduled commissioners meeting.
Commissioners unanimously approved the request that specifically asked for $300,000 from ARPA funds and $136,083 from gas and motor vehicle tax revenue.
Meixner’s request came shortly after he received word from the Ohio Public Works Commission that the county would receive a $500,000 grant to use toward the project.
The $500,000 grant will be available in July 2023, Meixner said. He added the county has two years to spend that money, but that the project could start next year.
The $936,000 project involves taking out the old bridge and installing a new one — in the public right-of-way. It also means closing a section of West Main Street, a main artery for residents and visitors coming and going to parks, homes and churches.
The underground bridge is located in the city of Ashland, but the road is an extension of a county road, Meixner said. State law mandates the city and county must share the costs for projects like this.
Ashland’s share, Meixner said, is an agreement that the county will use millings generated from the city’s yearly paving program. Using those millings, or, ground up recycled asphalt, will save the county money by eliminating the need to bid for the material.
The view of Town Run from Dave Kirk's property, a house on the 400 block of West Main Street in Ashland. Photo taken Oct. 26, 2022.
Replacing the bridge is the most immediate plan, but officials have discussed the possibility of purchasing up to four homes adjacent to the underground bridge and its culverts.
The four homes experience flooding frequently because they are located within a designated floodplain zone. But they also flood because of the deteriorating culverts there, officials have said.
That longer-term solution would likely involve tearing down those houses in order to install newer culverts and create a green space.
