Work to begin on Meander bridges

Austintown's fire chief was thanked for his efforts to keep the reservoir safe.
By JEANNE STARMACK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- The dirt wasn't exactly flying, but dignitaries gathered at a groundbreaking for the Meander Reservoir bridge project were clearly enthusiastic.
State Rep. Sylvester Patton of Youngstown, D-60th, joked that he didn't want to get his shovel too dirty. He and the others good-naturedly poked at the ground to symbolize the beginning of the three-year-long replacement of the twin bridges on Interstate 80 over the reservoir.
They gathered Thursday morning at the end of Cerni Place off state Route 46 in Austintown, which was as close as they could get to the actual construction site.
Under a blue sky in warm and windy early spring weather, they looked forward to many days ahead of road work -- many of them not nearly as nice, they acknowledged.
And they thanked everyone whose input went into the design of the bridge and the planning of its construction.
"Everyone had an idea for the bridge, and at times, it got a little heated," said state Rep. Ken Carano of Austintown, D-59th. "But that is cooperation."
Carano called it "the bridge that goes everywhere." Fifty-five thousand vehicles, 15,000 of them trucks, travel across it every day.
Out of all states, Ohio ranks third in truck traffic, Patton pointed out.
Official praise
Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams called it a project of regional significance that will have a large impact on his city.
John Getchey, director of the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, said planning for the project has been a priority since 2000. "Now it's a reality," he said.
Getchey thanked the Ohio Department of Transportation for $422 million worth of projects for the area in the last five years.
Gordon Proctor, ODOT director, called the $86.7 million project the third- or fourth-largest in ODOT's history. The department has pledged to keep two lanes of traffic moving throughout the project, he said, by building crossover lanes and doing work in off-peak hours, such as at night.
Proctor also thanked Gov. Bob Taft for an ambitious funding plan that allowed the project to go forward.
He also lauded a special spill containment system that will help protect the reservoir, which is the drinking water for 300,000 people.
That system, which drains spills on the bridge through pipes into earthen containment bins, was Austintown Fire Chief Andrew Frost's idea, and it earned him thanks from every one of the speakers at the ceremony. Frost said the bins can handle spills of up to 15,000 gallons.
Frost also pushed for an access road to the bridge so safety forces could respond to emergencies in the area faster than if they had to travel down I-80. The 750-foot access is off Silica Road, he said.
ODOT said the project extends 4.2 miles. The bridges will be 2,500 feet long, and each one will be widened to three lanes.
Major construction work won't begin for another month, but some night work is set to begin Monday.