MAHONING COUNTY Bridge will allow access to major development along river

The county sales tax and the regional nature of the project was imperative in obtaining the funding, the mayor said.
THE VINDICATOR
STRUTHERS -- A bridge that will enable the continued redevelopment of a river corridor spanning three communities could be completed within two years, Mahoning County Engineer Dick Marsico says.
The bridge, at Walton Avenue in Struthers, is part of Phase I of the rebirth of 1,400 acres of former steel mill property along the Mahoning River that officials believe will bring 8,000 new jobs, $3.6 million in income taxes, and an estimated $5.27 million in property taxes.
Officials detailed the project to The Vindicator earlier this month and unveiled the official master plan to the public Wednesday at Mauthe Park in Struthers. When the redevelopment is complete -- in about 10-plus years, 75 companies with a collective 7.1 million square feet under roof will be located in the area. The area stretches along the Mahoning River from Performance Place industrial park in Youngstown, through Campbell to CASTLO Industrial Park in Struthers.
Site called bedrock
Struthers Mayor Daniel C. Mamula called the site the bedrock of the community -- home of Youngstown Sheet & amp; Tube Co. and Republic Steel -- which employed nearly 20,000 workers at the peak of operations in the 1950s and '60s.
Although it may never be the industrial powerhouse it once was, the area holds tremendous promise, Mamula said.
He spearheaded formation of the Mahoning River Corridor of Opportunity Planning Committee in 1995, a cooperative effort among Campbell, Struthers and Youngstown, Mahoning County, CASTLO Community Improvement Corp., Eastgate Council of Governments, Mahoning Valley Economic Development Corp., Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, First Energy Corp., East Ohio Gas, Consumers Ohio Water Co., Youngstown State University and the state.
More than $30 million has been invested since 1996, Mamula said. Companies such as Astro Shapes have expanded, as have recreational facilities such as Cene Park. Some 2,000 workers are already employed by businesses at the site.
"We would like to see it grow faster," he said, but a lack of infrastructure -- bridges that make large tracts of the property more easily accessible, roads, sewers and easy access to Interstate 680 -- deters businesses from locating there.
The planning committee supports infrastructure development as a means of attracting new business, he said, and the site plan reflects that.
The bridge
The bridge at Walton Avenue would provide access from Poland Avenue to large tracts of land across the river in Campbell. Two or three other bridges would be built as the site develops, Marsico said.
The plan also calls for road construction and design of an interchange at Shirley Road and I-680, as well as 25 acres of open, park-like areas and an 8.2-mile bike path.
Funding for the Walton Avenue bridge came from the federal government, the state and the county.
County money -- $800,000 from the half-percent sales tax -- was used to leverage $1.8 million from the federal government and $500,000 from the state, William DeCicco, CASTLO executive director, reported Wednesday. The sales tax was imperative to obtaining funding for the project, Mamula said, as was the regional government support.
"Funding agencies listen when three cities and the county all say their No. 1 priority is this bridge. They don't ignore you when all the voices are speaking together," the mayor said.
DeCicco said businesses most likely to locate there are manufacturers and warehouse and distribution companies.