HANOVERTON Engineers plan $1.7 million project to stop Knox School Road flooding

A permit is needed because the project will affect a sensitive environment.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
HANOVERTON -- Easing frequent flooding on a rural road in West Township is the goal of a $1.7 million project being planned by the Columbiana County engineer's department.
The county wants to elevate and straighten more than half a mile of Knox School Road north of state Route 172, deputy Engineer Bob Durbin said Thursday.
Plans call for starting the project in summer 2004. It will take about 18 months.
During all but about 30 days of that time, the affected section of the highway will be closed.
Knox School Road twists through a large wetlands area that seeps over the pavement during rain.
"Even the slightest rain will flood the road," Durbin said.
Raising the road will affect the wetlands. Most wetlands in Ohio are protected as fragile yet valuable wildlife and plant habitats.
Getting permission
Since the road project would affect about 1.4 acres of wetlands, the county must get a permit from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
The permit process includes an information session and public hearing.
The event will be conducted by the OEPA from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Minerva Public Library, 677 Lynnwood Drive, Minerva.
Durbin said the county will comply with wetlands regulations that require replacing any wetlands displaced by a project.
Plans call for creating a wetlands west of the project site on private land that the county intends to buy, Durbin said.
A price for the land has yet to be determined. That expense is not factored into the $1.7 million project budget.
To pay for the construction, the county is relying on a federal grant that will cover about 80 percent of the cost.
The remainder will come from the county's road and bridge fund, which is supplied with revenue from a gas tax and license plate fees.