LIMA — The completion of a major reconstruction project along Interstate 75 and its entrance and exit ramps highlighted several projects taken on by the Ohio Department of Transportation District 1 in 2016.
The project began with reconstruction of the Reservoir Road and Fourth Street overpasses, followed by reconstruction of the pavement from Fourth Street to state Route 81 and finishing with reconstruction from Fourth Street south to the Auglaize County line. The project reconstructed 9.38 miles of roadway, providing the framework for a third lane in each direction should the need arise. Originally projected to cost $156.2 million, the project came in with a final price tag of $135.7 million, 13 percent below the original projection.
ODOT District 1 Deputy Director Kirk Slusher said it will bring to a close in most part to the road closings, alternate routes and reduced lane traffic that Allen County drivers endured.
“Allen County will have a bit of a reprieve for the next few years,” Slusher said. “Our funding is based on the most need, and we spent a lot of money in Allen County the last five years.”
The I-75 project now moves north to Hancock County, where plan preparation and utility relocation are nearly complete.
“This work helps improve many areas dependent on travel, including safety, the local economy and overall efficiency of travel,” Slusher said.
The project in Hancock County will include a third lane of travel added on I-75 from the state Route 15/U.S. 68 interchange to County Road 99 north of Findlay. The project will be bid out within the next couple of weeks and construction will begin in the spring.
Other major projects included reconstruction, widening and the addition of curbs and gutters along state Route 309 from Eastown Road to U.S. 30 and realignment of the state Route 117/state Route 501 intersection to improve safety.
In Van Wert, residents detoured around improvements to U.S. 127/Washington Street, its major north-south route.
In Putnam County, significant drainage projects were completed along state Routes 108 and 15 near Brookhill Center Industries. An additional 4,900 feet of drainage tile and six catch basins were also installed around state Route 696 just north of the Allen County line.
A guard rail was installed at state Route 696 at Grismore Road to improve safety, and chip and seal work in 16 miles of roadway in Hancock County was conducted to prevent moisture.
Slusher said a project on state Route 65 comparable to the the state Route 309 project will be among the bigger projects ODOT conducts in 2017.
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