As a frequent user of Road 5 between Leipsic and Pandora, I've come across accident scenes and observed many near accidents on the road. It is so narrow that it is a miracle that semis don't smack each other's rear view mirrors when they pass. It is difficult for farmers like myself to transport tillage tools and planters on it.The widening is especially needed now that ProTec's expansion is taking place. The 30 or so people protesting its widening want Interstate-75 south truck traffic to stay on state routes. This is unrealistic time wise and fuel wise. Rerouting Road 5 traffic to State Route 65 south or State Route 235 south would waste around one to two hours of the drivers' time on a round trip. A typical semi burns seven gallons of fuel an hour, so you do the math.The people protesting the widening are hurting the progress of Putnam County. The factories in Leipsic pay their employees very well and the trickle down effect helps just about every person in the county to some degree. Grants have been made available to the commissioners to pay for the bulk of the project.The commissioners have promised to pay Road 5 landowners a fair appraisal price. At this time the repetitive mantra of the protesters complaining about the project seems more like immature badgering of the commissioners than anything else. The commissioners were elected to serve all of the county's over 30,000 citizens who want to see Putnam County prosper and the roadways improved.
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