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Report.
-
- LETTER
TO THE CITIZENS OF BUTLER COUNTY
- from
County Engineer Dean C. Foster, P.E., P.S.
|
March 15, 1999
To the Citizens and
Board of County Commissioners of Butler County, Ohio:
I am pleased to present
the Butler County Engineer's 1998-99 Annual Report for your review.
The Report provides an overview of 1998 projects, a look at proposed
capital improvements for 1999, and highlights of some major projects
currently in the works for 2000 and beyond. Each project listed
in this Report has the direct involvement of the Butler County
Engineer's Office (BCEO). This would include planning and engineering,
funding, administration of the contract, and/or construction.
When you browse the
1998 Review in this Report, you will see that this Office was
involved with over $18 million in projects and maintenance. Among
some of the highlights: |
 |
- 10 bridges were replaced
or repaired;
- 3 dangerous intersections
were upgraded and made safer;
- 3 major roadway improvements
helped improve safety and capacity problems;
- 50 plus miles of roadway
received new, smooth pavement.
The BCEO also managed
construction of the Muhlhauser Road Extension bridges for the
Transportation Improvement District.
Last year, the BCEO
became the first local agency in Ohio to manage federally-funded
projects previously administered by the Ohio Department of Transportation.
This was the first such transfer of federal projects to the local
level as part of the state's new LPA
(Local Public Agency) Management Program. Complete local
management of these projects by the BCEO is already paying off
for taxpayers, as time and money are saved by speeding up all
facets of the construction process. The Engineer's Office kicked
off the new program in a very big way by constructing three major
LPA projects in 1998: the Cincinnati Dayton Road bridge replacement
at Gano Road, the Reily Millville Road upgrade, and the Layhigh
Road bridge replacement in Ross Township. We applaud this new
policy by the State and believe the LPA program will be a huge
success.
Technology continued
to be a major focus in 1998 with completion of the BCEO's computer
system upgrade and implementation of a new network. The Y2K evaluation
process was begun in 1998 to ensure that the BCEO is Y2K ready.
Work on this project is expected to be nearly completed by mid-1999
so that your Engineer's Office is fully Y2K ready by the dawn
of the new millennium. Additionally, the BCEO's web site continued
to expand and improve during 1998. Its popularity has grown even
better than expected, and it continues to be a very important
communications tool for the Office.
We also continued to
expand our utilization of composite bridge materials last year.
During the summer, a concrete conspan bridge was installed on
Yankee Road in Liberty Township. The bridge utilizes composite
fiber reinforcements in one section and in the wingwall. You
may recall our previous work with composites on Fear Not Mills
Road and the installation of the Tech
21 Bridge in 1997, Ohio's first all-composite bridge. The
BCEO continues to be a national leader in the laboratory and
design of composites and the field application process as well.
Please take a few moments
to read through this year's Annual Report and review the past
year's accomplishments of your Engineer's Office. Take a look
ahead at what we also plan to be involved with in 1999 -- over
$24 million in projects. Our online readers will notice faster
download times with this year's Report as it has been divided
into separate pages.
As always, we appreciate
the opportunity to serve you the taxpayers, who are after all,
our employers. Your safety and convenience are important to us
as evidenced by the projects in this Report. Perhaps you may
or may not be aware that outside of Butler County the BCEO enjoys
a statewide reputation for its progressive approach to engineering,
safety, and public involvement. Much of what we pioneer locally
is watched and then implemented in other counties. We are able
to function on your behalf because of your support and feedback.
Thanks for a great year Butler County!
Board
of Butler County Commissioners:
The staff of the Butler
County Engineer's Office conducts an ongoing inspection and analysis
of the roads and bridges that are under our jurisdiction and
make up the County system, per Section 5543.02 of the Ohio Revised
Code. On the basis of these inspections and analyses, we respectfully
submit this Report to the Butler County Board of Commissioners
and request approval of expenses for all recommended 1999 capital
improvements. These are listed in the section entitled 1999 PROPOSED
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS.
We also request the
enactment of resolutions 1) for the acquisition of needed rights
of way and plan preparation in accordance with our recommended
improvements, and 2) to proceed by Force Account as outlined
in Section 5543.19 of the Ohio Revised Code for all necessary
maintenance, repair, and improvements. Materials for all Force
Account projects are bid through separate contracts.
