December 23, 1998
Bridge replacement project receives $200,000 gift
By David Crawford
Staff Writer
A project to replace a bridge on CR 51 in Old Fort has received a $200,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Development.
Commissioner Ken Estep, County Engineer Jim Ninz and Chief Deputy Engineer Caroline Minges appeared before the Ohio Controlling Board in Columbus on Monday and received final clearance for the money.
The $5.8 million project will be one of largest public works projects in the county, Ninz said.
It will replace a Sandusky River bridge that was constructed in the 1920s and was damaged in a 1989 traffic accident. The bridge has remained open for the past nine years with one lane of traffic controlled by traffic lights at each end of the bridge.
Replacing the bridge has become a priority for the commissioners and the engineer to help local residents and to help the Church & Dwight Co. Inc. plant in the area.
The new bridge would eliminate long detours taken by Church & Dwight delivery trucks and by local residents to avoid the current bridge.
The project would create a straighter bridge with easier access. The location would avoid an unstable riverbank to the south of the present bridge, as well as preserve a wetland on the eastern bank of the river.
The $200,000 grant is to join $4.5 million that has been raised from other state and federal sources. The remaining $1.1 million is to be raised from bonds sold by the Seneca County Commissioners and retired over a five-year period.
The county already has spent $600,000 on purchasing land and engineering fees to plan the new bridge.
The Ohio Department of Transportation, which is to oversee the construction for the county, expects to begin the bid process in March. It plans to maintain at least one lane of traffic over the river throughout the construction. The project is expected to take nine months to a year to complete.
Estep thanked the Gillmors &emdash; Karen, Paul and P.M. &emdash; who helped to resurrect the project when it was almost dead a few years ago. He also credited State Sen. Larry Mumper for helping to smooth the process for the Controlling Board on Monday and providing opportunities for the Seneca County officials to present their case to state officials.