Commissioners OK $2.3 million in spending for 3 county bridge projects

Millions of dollars in county bridge construction work was approved Friday by the Lorain County Board of Commissioners. Three projects totaling nearly $2.3 million, with the majority of the money provided by the Ohio Department of Transportation, were given the go-ahead by the board. The largest of those will replace the Bursley Road bridge in Rochester Township. R & I Construction of Tiffin topped three other bidders and won the contract worth $1,130,753, the board announced. The work will be done by Aug. 15, with ODOT paying the entire cost of the work using a grant from the Federal Highway Administration. The bridge, located approximately ½ mile east of state Route 511, was closed in April 2025 following an inspection. It had already been scheduled for replacement this year when the Lorain County Engineer's Office said it failed a load rating test. Commissioners also awarded R & I Construction a contract worth $792,753 to replace the Hawley Road bridge in Wellington Township, just over three-fifths of a mile north of Route 18. That bid was the best of five received by the county, and the work will also be done on or before Aug. 15, the board said. ODOT will pay $753,115, with the remaining $39,638 to be paid by Lorain County. D2 Excavating of Vickery won a $357,981 contract to replace the superstructure on the Griggs Road bridge in Rochester. It was the best of five bids received to remove and replace the superstructure on the single-span bridge over the west branch of the Black River by Aug. 15. State law says all bridges 20 feet or more in length must be inspected every year. In other road work news, commissioners awarded a contract worth more than $425,445 to Crossroads Asphalt Recycling Inc. of Columbia Station to resurface East River Road in Carlisle Township. Crossroads put in the winning bid out of nine received to resurface East River Road from Chestnut Ridge Road to Elyria city limits, with the work to be completed on or before July 15. ODOT is again providing the bulk of the funding, more than $340,000 toward construction costs. The remaining $85,000 will be paid by the county. The county engineer's office also will reimburse Sheffield nearly $36,000 for improvements made to Abbe Road in 2023 to improve access to Ford's Ohio Assembly Plant, with ODOT providing the money through the county.Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com