Nearly 40 streets, some bridges set for repaving in Clark County

Clark County Commissioners have approved $1.3 million in road surfacing projects expected to be completed by the fall.

The projects, to be done jointly with the county and several cities and townships, will result in upgrades to about 18 miles of roads, county officials said.

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The county itself will spend close to $300,000 on the 2018 Road Resurfacing project and other local governments will reportedly pay the balance.

“Our paving program — we do this every year,” Clark County engineer Johnathan Burr said. ”We just opt to let townships and various municipalities in to help them save money on asphalt.”

The road projects for the county and local jurisdictions are bid under one project to reduce the cost.

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Eight jurisdictions — Bethel Twp., German Twp., Harmony Twp. Mad River Twp., New Carlisle, Moorefield Twp., Springfield Twp. and Enon — are participating in the joint effort with the county. A combined total of 39 streets will be paved, which were chosen based on driving conditions.

Additionally, the county is resurfacing a four-mile stretch of Broadgauge Road between Route 54 and Route 56 and four different bridges on Upper Valley Pike, Baker Road, Sparrow Road and Mitchell Road.

The City of New Carlisle was the latest to join the project. Burr told the Springfield News-Sun the small town joined once they learned how much they could save.

“I know they were in the $80 to $90 a ton range and ours… typically …have been in the past couple of years, in the low $60s,” Burr said.

The city will save about a third on the cost, he said.

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Smaller communities decide which of their streets will be paved, a contractor is hired to do the work and once completed, the county inspects it and determines the final cost.

“We will tally up how many yards they use, how much repair they have done on their streets and we settle up at the end of that,” Burr said.

On Tuesday, crews were out paving Selma Road in Clark County. Jerri Kay McCubbin, a 26-year resident who lives a few hundred feet from where the work was being done, said she believes the roads have been affected by weather.

“They have been pretty good up until this last couple of years. They are pretty rough right now,” McCubbin said.

She said she’s excited to see the work being done.

“I know right down the road here, there is a bridge that when I come across the bridge, I always go left of center because if you go straight on the bridge it’s a very bumpy ride,” McCubbin said.

A&B Asphalt Corp., based in Enon, was awarded the contract. More work is expected to begin later this month.

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