GIRARD 711 connector work? A blast

Blasting will normally take place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
GIRARD -- Explosions will be heard beginning in May in the Trumbull Hill area as part of the state Route 711 connector project.
Residents were informed of the timetable during a Thursday night informational meeting at Girard High School.
Randall C. Newhouser, project engineer for general contractor Shelly & amp; Sands Inc. of Zanesville, said blasting will begin the second or third week of May.
It will continue through the end of July or early August from just south of Trumbull Avenue to an area just north of Gypsy Lane.
Project details
The 711 connector will be a four-lane divided highway between U.S. Route 422 and the state Route 11-Interstate 80 intersection.
The $24.9 million project is designed to improve traffic flow between Trumbull and Mahoning counties.
Newhouser told the 200 people who attended the meeting that blasting will then be moved in October to Trumbull Avenue and the area just north.
Trumbull Avenue will be closed to through traffic in late December and remain closed until June 2004 while a bridge is built over the road.
The blasting will be done by Hilltop Energy Inc. of Lisbon and monitored by Engineering Dynamics and Sauls Seismic Inc.
Newhouser explained that surveys have been taken of some 460 residential properties and commercial buildings.
Damage potential
The interior and exterior inspections have included photographs so comparisons can be made if an owner claims an explosion damaged his property.
Keith Best, Sauls representative, said the intensity of the charges has been designed not to cause any damage.
The blasting will normally take place between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. It won't be done daily, but periodically, and the sandstone will be hauled away.
Sirens will sound five minutes before detonation to alert residents.
The time of the explosions might change if thunderstorms are predicted during a scheduled blasting day. Water will be sprayed on the area before blasting to keep dust to a minimum.
Newhouser explained that city safety forces will provide service, even when Trumbull Avenue is closed.
Utility lines
Philip A. Crish, Trumbull County area engineer for the Ohio Department of Transportation, said there could be an "inconvenience" if underground utility lines are broken.
He said property owners will pay for the repairs and be reimbursed later through Shelly & amp; Sands insurance underwriters.
Newhouser said that if residents have concerns about valued antiques or pictures, they may want to move them back from the edge of shelving and remove pictures from the walls.
yovich@vindy.com