Trumbull County outlines road and bridge projects

By Ed Runyan | April 20, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

Trumbull County Engineer David DeChristofaro

WARREN

The Trumbull County Engineer’s Office will repave seven county highways this year at a cost of $3.5 million. It also will reconstruct three bridges and nearly 20 culvert bridges, Trumbull County Engineer David DeChristofaro announced Tuesday.

The biggest road projects will be on Hoagland-Blackstub Road in Bazetta and Champion Avenue in Champion and Bazetta townships, plus a portion of Loganway Avenue in Liberty, Lane West Road in Warren Township, Salt Springs Road in Weathersfield, North Leavitt Road in Champion and Warren townships, and North Road in Howland.

The three bridge projects, totaling $1.6 million, are on Housel Craft Road in Farmington, on Hayes Orangeville Road in Hartford and on Mahan Parker Road in Bloomfield.

Culvert bridges are culverts that are large enough to span more than 10 feet and that trigger regulations for bridges. The reconstruction of culvert bridges will occur throughout the county at a cost of $650,000.

The county will use the chip-and-seal resurfacing method on 25 miles of county roads this year throughout the county.

Chip and seal involves a new surface about a half-inch thick, whereas a traditional road paving project involves pavement about 4 inches thick, said David Rouan, DeChristofaro’s director of administration.

DeChristofaro told county commissioners at their weekly work session that he is trying to increase the amount of road and bridge work being done from now through 2014 — more than $33 million, compared with roughly $7 million over most four-year periods in the last 20 years.

“The engineer’s office has made it a priority to rebuild our county roads and bridges,” DeChristofaro said. “This is being accomplished by directing more financial resources toward projects and less on payroll.”