Eastown to open by holidays

LIMA - It may not be September yet, but the county's engineering department is already thinking about holiday shopping.

Chief Deputy Engineer Mark Stockman said Thursday he expects to see the section of Eastown Road that has been closed since June to be reopened to traffic by Thanksgiving. That means holiday shoppers will be able to use the route to get back and forth to the Lima Mall and other stops along Elida Road.

"We're going to have two lanes up by Thanksgiving and it will stay open through the winter. It will go down again next spring to finish up the work," Stockman said.

Eastown Road has been closed between Allentown and Cable roads since June as part of a three-stage program to widen and extend the increasingly busy route. The road will be widened from two to five lanes; the railroad tracks will be widened; the bridge will be replaced; new stop lights will be installed at Elida Road; and new water lines, storm drains and sanitary sewers will be installed.

The road has been closed to traffic off-and-on since late 2004. The final section of the three-phase project, which includes the extension from Elm Street to Spencerville Road, is expected to begin in March and be complete in the first part of 2010.

Stockman said the dryer-than-usual summer has helped speed progress along.

"The weather's been great. It's been dusty out there, we have spent a lot on water to keep the dust down, but overall it's been good," Stockman said.

Engineer Tim Piper also announced plans Thursday to apply for a $300,000 federal grant to replace guardrails throughout the county. The grant would cover the addition or replacement of about 13,000 lineal feet of guardrail on some of the county's most traveled roads, Piper said. That work will be ongoing through late 2009 and early 2010.