Officials to replace weight-limit signs on several bridges

The number of bridges needing weight-limit signs has dropped.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- It's out with the old and in with the new, in terms of bridge weight-limit signs being placed on Trumbull County roadways.
The Trumbull County Engineer's Office is posting new signs at all 26 bridges that have weight limits. County commissioners approved the new limits last week.
Instead of the old signs that indicated a reduction by a given percentage, the new signs will indicate how many tons a truck may carry over the bridge depending on how many axles the truck has, explained Randy Smith, chief deputy engineer.
The new limits are more informative, Smith said, because the diagram on the sign shows the number of axles and lists the tonnage for that truck.The main benefit is the driver no longer has to calculate tonnages in his head while driving, said John P. Picuri, bridge engineer.
Bridge replacements
Smith said the department is pleased that the number of bridges requiring weight-limit signs has dropped dramatically in the years since Engineer John D. Latell Sr. first came into office in 1994.
At that time, 93 bridges carried weight limitations -- 23 percent of the county's 400 bridges. The current number of 26 bridges represents just 7 percent of the total.
"I'm very proud of the fact that we've been aggressive in getting grant money to help with the replacements," Latell said.
In 2004, the office replaced or rehabilitated 10 bridges -- a number that represents a fairly typical year, Smith said. At that pace, the number of bridges with load limits is dropping every year.
Funding sources for bridge replacements include federal grants distributed through the County Engineer's Association of Ohio, state Issue 2 money and Trumbull County Engineer funding.
The office has secured $3.9 million in funding in just the last two months, Picuri said.
Projects on bridges in Weathersfield, Newton Township (2), Hartford Township and Warren Township are scheduled to be completed sometime in the next four years, Smith said.
A bridge in Bloomfield Township on Mahan Parker Road has been closed, Smith said. But it is in a remote area in the Grand River Game Preserve, where it doesn't get much use. The office is applying for Issue 2 funds to replace it, Smith said.
The Newton Falls Covered Bridge is partway through a rehabilitation project. The bridge doesn't require a sign for different types of trucks because it is too small to accommodate trucks larger than two axles, Smith said.
runyan@vindy.com