Wegman Drive reconstruction to cost $1.2 million
County seeking ODOT funds to help with project in Liverpool Twp.
County Engineer Andy Conrad is chairman of the Medina County Transportation Improvement District which hopes to help rebuild Wegman Drive in the Liverpool Industrial Park. Photo by GLENN WOJCIAK
MEDINA – Liverpool Township may get some help from the county and the Ohio Department of Transportation in paying for the $1.2 million reconstruction of Wegman Drive.
County commissioners have signed a letter to ODOT expressing their strong support for a $250,000 grant to help rebuild the road in the Liverpool Industrial Park.
The grant application was made through the Medina County Transportation Improvement District, a somewhat obscure board that is eligible to seek state assistance in paying for local road projects.
Andy Conrad, the county’s highway engineer, also serves as chairman of the TID board. He said any help ODOT can provide would be welcome in paying for the costly reconstruction of Wegman Drive.
“A million dollars is a lot of money for a township like Liverpool,” Conrad said. “It would be a lot of money for the county if we had to bear the cost.”
Wegman Drive serves one of the county’s oldest and largest industrial parks. Wear and tear from heavy trucks serving companies such as MTD Products, Shiloh Industries, Northlake Steel and Superior Roll Forming have taken their toll on the road.
The grant application to ODOT states that Wegman Drive has seen increased traffic in recent years due to the expansion of some of the companies there. About 2,500 are employed at the various companies located in the industrial park.
The degrading condition of Wegman Drive has prompted the highway engineer and Liverpool Township trustees to do a complete reconstruction of the road that should create a useful life of 50 years. The new concrete should also save about $100,000 a year in repairs the township is now spending to keep maintain it.
Conrad said the county is helping Liverpool finance the project by borrowing $900,000 from the Ohio Public Works loan program.
Conrad is hopeful the TID grant will be approved by ODOT but said there is no guarantee that it will. Other transportation improvement districts around the state will also be competing for a limited amount of funds.
The Medina County TID has been around for about three decades and received a $1 million grant in 2003 to help build roads in the Medina County University Park.
Other transportation projects to receive TID assistance over the years have been a Route 18 corridor study, Foote Road extension, an upgrade to the railroad crossing on Lester Road, improvements at the intersection of Spieth and Marks roads and engineering services for improvements on U.S. Route 224, state Route 261 and Hartman Road.
However, state funding for TIDs has declined over the years and the Medina TID went dormant until being recertified with the state last year.
County commissioners have signed a letter to ODOT expressing their strong support for a $250,000 grant to help rebuild the road in the Liverpool Industrial Park.
The grant application was made through the Medina County Transportation Improvement District, a somewhat obscure board that is eligible to seek state assistance in paying for local road projects.
Andy Conrad, the county’s highway engineer, also serves as chairman of the TID board. He said any help ODOT can provide would be welcome in paying for the costly reconstruction of Wegman Drive.
“A million dollars is a lot of money for a township like Liverpool,” Conrad said. “It would be a lot of money for the county if we had to bear the cost.”
Wegman Drive serves one of the county’s oldest and largest industrial parks. Wear and tear from heavy trucks serving companies such as MTD Products, Shiloh Industries, Northlake Steel and Superior Roll Forming have taken their toll on the road.
The grant application to ODOT states that Wegman Drive has seen increased traffic in recent years due to the expansion of some of the companies there. About 2,500 are employed at the various companies located in the industrial park.
The degrading condition of Wegman Drive has prompted the highway engineer and Liverpool Township trustees to do a complete reconstruction of the road that should create a useful life of 50 years. The new concrete should also save about $100,000 a year in repairs the township is now spending to keep maintain it.
Conrad said the county is helping Liverpool finance the project by borrowing $900,000 from the Ohio Public Works loan program.
Conrad is hopeful the TID grant will be approved by ODOT but said there is no guarantee that it will. Other transportation improvement districts around the state will also be competing for a limited amount of funds.
The Medina County TID has been around for about three decades and received a $1 million grant in 2003 to help build roads in the Medina County University Park.
Other transportation projects to receive TID assistance over the years have been a Route 18 corridor study, Foote Road extension, an upgrade to the railroad crossing on Lester Road, improvements at the intersection of Spieth and Marks roads and engineering services for improvements on U.S. Route 224, state Route 261 and Hartman Road.
However, state funding for TIDs has declined over the years and the Medina TID went dormant until being recertified with the state last year.