Repair work underway on Kinsman Lake causeway

By ED RUNYAN

runyan@vindy.com

KINSMAN

Work is underway to repair the Kinsman Lake causeway, and Trumbull County officials praised local state lawmakers for their efforts to secure funding for the job.

“Today basically marks the start of the 60-day forecasted window to restore access to the Lakeland development,” county Engineer Randy Smith said Monday, standing next to a house being demolished and earth-moving equipment poised to fix the causeway.

“A tremendous amount of work has been occurring up until this point,” Smith said at a morning news conference. He thanked the area’s elected state officials “for their efforts in bringing the funding in order to complete this project.” The causeway repairs will cost $1.85 million.

At the news conference were state Sen. Sean O’Brien of Bazetta, D-32nd; state Rep. Michael O’Brien of Warren, D-64th; and state Sen. Michael Rulli of Salem, R-33rd.

Also standing with Smith was Todd Phillips, president of JET Excavating, the “emergency contractor” hired to carry out the repairs; and Kathy Miller, Kinsman Township trustee. She thanked Smith and his staff, saying they have gone “above and beyond anything we could have ever hoped to get in our elected officials in representing us and getting us through this.”

The repairs to the causeway will enable residents of the 22 homes in the Lakelands neighborhood to once again drive their vehicles into and out of the neighborhood. It will again make it possible for emergency vehicles, school buses and other traffic to get in and out.

Since the washout, a walking and four-wheeler path through the woods has provided some access. Families living in about nine of the homes are again living in them.

The home next to the washed-out part of the causeway was only a few feet from falling over the bank and into the former Kinsman Lake, which is now a stream. There was concern the home might be further destabilized by the heavy earth-moving equipment, so officials bought the home instead, Smith said.

The washout of a part of the causeway occurred July 20 during a huge rain event that swept south through creeks.

Smith said the cost of the causeway work is about $1.85 million. Other work that has already been done and still needed in Kinsman, Greene and Gustavus townships brings the total cost to about $3.6 million.

About $1 million is coming from the Ohio Department of Transportation. An emergency declaration from Gov. Mike DeWine made it possible to get the remaining money through the Ohio Department of Public Safety.