Project moved ahead one year
LIMA (Thursday, July 21, 2016) The reconstruction and lane addition on Interstate 75 through Findlay and Hancock County will begin next year, one year earlier than scheduled.
The project will take place from just south of Harrison Street/County Road 144, which is just south of the Ohio 15/U.S. Route 68 interchange, to the County Road 99 interchange in Findlay. The project will reconstruct the existing pavement on Interstate 75, add a third travel lane in both the northbound and southbound direction, and will upgrade the roadway to modern highway standards.
Ohio Department of Transportation District 1 Deputy Director Kirk Slusher said the project advanced because the construction plans were complete and other projects elsewhere in the state scheduled for next year experienced delays during plan development.
“We kept a focus on preparing the plans for the Hancock Interstate 75 project so it would be ready in case funding became available earlier than scheduled,” said Slusher. Because the project was able to advance, Slusher said a significant cost savings is expected. “We will avoid additional costs which we’ve seen on past projects due to inflation,” he said.
The project is scheduled to go out for contractor bid in early December 2016. It is expected the project will begin in the spring and require three years to complete.
In addition to reconstruction and lane addition, the $133 million project also includes:
- Replacement of the Harrison Street overpass
- Redesign and reconstruction of the interchanges at Interstate 75 and Lima Avenue with U.S. 68/Ohio15
- Construction of noise walls along the interstate at the following locations:
o Adjacent to Carlin Road north of County Road 313 and south of Harrison Street/County Road 144 on the east side of the interstate
o Adjacent to Broad Avenue between U.S. 224/Trenton Avenue and Bigelow Avenue/County Road 96 on the east and west side of the interstate
o Adjacent to Crosshill Drive from north of Bigelow Avenue/County Road 96 to just north of Hillshafer Drive on the east side of the interstate
This section of Interstate 75, which was originally constructed in the 1950s, last saw major work in 1989.
Work currently under way on Interstate 75 north of Findlay will continue through fall of next year.
The Ohio Department of Transportation maintains the state’s largest man-made asset–the transportation system. ODOT’s mission is to provide the safe and easy movement of people and goods from place to place. As a $2.8 billion per year enterprise, ODOT invests the bulk of its resources in system preservation through maintenance, construction and snow and ice operations.
The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable Federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried out by ODOT pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 11, 2015, and executed by FHWA and ODOT.
