Work on Meander bridges set for spring

The I-80 bridges project is expected to be done in 2009.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR STAFF Writer
AUSTINTOWN -- The project to replace the Interstate 80 twin bridges over the Meander Reservoir is expected to start this year.
"We met, voted and approved Tier 1 and Tier 2 projects," said Patrick Ungaro, Liberty Township administrator and a member of the state Transportation Review Advisory Council.
The council's recommendations included approval for the I-80 project, which is estimated to cost $75.1 million. It is to go to bid next month.
Jennifer Richmond, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Transportation District 4, expects construction to start in early spring. Completion is anticipated in fall 2009.
"It's important to note that we will be maintaining two lanes of traffic in each direction on I-80 throughout the project," she said.
Some surrounding roads -- Ohltown, Lipkey and Turner -- will close for 60-day periods during the project. Mill Creek Park's bike path also will close for a short time during the work, Richmond said.
TRAC also recommended funding for other Mahoning Valley projects, though those designs aren't ready for construction. The funding recommendations run through 2012.
Other Mahoning Valley projects:
UAbout $6.8 million for preliminary engineering for the $147.7 million addition of a third lane on I-80 in Mahoning and Trumbull counties from I-680 and state Route 11 to state Route 193 and improvements to interchanges. Engineering work is expected to begin in 2010.
UAbout $7.5 million for preliminary engineering for the $75 million Hubbard Arterial in Mahoning and Trumbull counties, which includes the new alignment from U.S. Route 62 to I-80, Ungaro said. That project is set for design in 2008.
Another valley project, the $229.3 million relocation of U.S. 62 from state Route 225 to Route 11, remains in the feasibility study phase. The project covers Stark, Mahoning and Columbiana counties.
The I-80 project over Meander includes replacing two bridges across the reservoir. The new bridges will be wider, with a 10-foot and a 12-foot shoulder on each. The project includes the addition of a third lane from the Ohio Turnpike to state Route 46, excluding the bridges.
Emergency plan
The plan is for a staging area for emergency vehicles at one end of the bridge and a chemical spill containment system along the sides of the bridges. The spill containment includes controlled drainage, where any chemicals spilled would drain into a ditch and emergency crews would have a 30-minute window to contain it before it filters into the reservoir.
"TRAC has been very supportive of our area and so has the governor," Ungaro said. In roughly the past nine years that the former Democratic Youngstown mayor has been on the mostly Republican council, has gotten about $175 million in funding for valley highway projects, he said.