ODOT delays bridge opening

ODOT now says the bridge will open the week of Nov. 18.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Bad weather has again delayed opening of the new U.S. Route 224 bridge over Berlin Reservoir.
The bridge, which crosses the lake between Deerfield and Berlin Township, has been closed since February. Motorists have had to use a 15.5-mile detour around the reservoir in the meantime.
The span was originally to have opened in October. Jennifer Richmond of the Ohio Department of Transportation said the project was pushed behind by a long spell of extremely windy weather.
"The wind has been pretty ferocious out there," Richmond said. "Doing bridge work on the water in high winds can be pretty dangerous."
More delay
Once the project got back on track, ODOT projected Wednesday as the new scheduled opening date. However, weather again got in the way when temperatures nose-dived to abnormally cold levels for this time of year.
That, Richmond said, has made it difficult to get paving work done on the bridge.
Wednesday came and went, and the bridge remained closed.
Richmond said the date is now pushed back to sometime the week of Nov. 18.
"We can't pave when the temperature drops below certain levels," Richmond said, noting that several road projects are on hold until the weather warms up.
Rick Peppel, Berlin Township fire chief, said the closure hasn't affected his department's ability to respond to calls on the west side of the lake since they are handled primarily by the Deerfield Fire Department.
But increased traffic on state Route 534, which is part of the official detour, has resulted in a higher incidence of accidents there, Peppel said.
The detour uses Route 534, Mahoning Avenue and state Route 225.
bjackson@vindy.com