NILES Despite problems from weather, viaduct project nears completion

An engineer said there won't be a problem meeting the Oct. 15 deadline.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
NILES -- Precipitation -- in one form or another -- did its best to slow construction, but to no avail.
Harsh winter weather, sleet and snow combined with heavy rains this summer to wreak havoc with the scheduled replacement of the Main Street viaduct in downtown Niles.
But work never stopped on the state Route 46 span and the project should finish up on time, officials said.
"The original completion date was Oct. 15 and we expect to make that date with ease," said Phil Crish, a construction engineer for the Ohio Department of Transportation.
Crish said the majority of the work will be complete by the end of this month and most of the span will reopen to traffic then.
After that, he said, construction crews will spend about two weeks moving traffic around, closing different portions of the viaduct at different times, to perform "miscellaneous work."
That includes sealing the road, paving the approaches on either side of the bridge and removing temporary barriers.
"We'll mostly be underneath cleaning, but periodically we'll be on top doing some work," he said.
What's done
J.D. Williamson Construction Inc. of Tallmadge is doing the bulk of the work.
The northbound side of the bridge, which connects downtown to the south side, is finished. Work continues on the southbound lanes.
The project forced Niles officials to come up with some creative ways to direct traffic on the city's south side when school opened.
Access to Second Street was closed because of construction, but when the new Niles Middle School was designed, buses were to come in from that area.
Instead, the city reset traffic and light patterns on South Main Street at Second and Third streets.
Now, southbound traffic on Main uses the left lane as a turning lane, and through traffic and vehicles making right turns use the right lanes.
With the new light and traffic flow, the left lane will be a turning lane, and through traffic and vehicles making right turns will use the right lane.
The new patterns stay in effect until work on the viaduct is complete.
The $5.6 million project finally began last summer after 10 years of talking and design work.
Working up to it
Replacement was discussed for some time before ODOT announced in 1996 that construction was set to begin in 1999. Work was delayed several more times until 2002 because ODOT was slow in issuing contracts for the design phase of the project.
Once completed, the 680-foot span over railroad tracks and the Mahoning River will be 54 feet wide with a 7-foot-wide sidewalk on the west side.
The project is being paid for primarily with state and federal funds, with the city chipping in 1 percent.
Despite the weather setbacks, Crish said, construction has been relatively smooth and the project is expected to come in at budget.
"We plan to be within 2 percent of the estimated budget," he said. "We could come in no more than 2 percent over the original estimates, but we could come in as much as 2 percent under, too."
Crish said final cost projections will not be available until construction is complete.
More than 15,000 vehicles daily cross the viaduct, which has remained open with one lane of traffic in each direction throughout construction.
Officials originally hoped to complete the project as much as six months earlier by closing down the 68-year-old structure, but city officials and local business owners were worried that would damage commerce and essentially cut off the south side from the downtown.
slshaulis@vindy.com