Click camera for photos throughout
Report.
- LETTER
TO CITIZENS
- from
County Engineer Dean C. Foster
March 15, 2000
To the Citizens and
Board of County Commissioners of Butler County, Ohio:
I am pleased to present
the Butler County Engineer's 1999-2000 Annual Report for your
review. The Report provides an overview of 1999 projects, a look
at proposed capital improvements for 2000, and a few major projects
currently in the works for 2001 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
1999 Review in this Report, you will see that this Office was
involved with the completion of over $9.6 million in projects
and maintenance. Among some of the highlights: |
 |
- 15 bridges were replaced
or repaired;
- 36 culverts were replaced
or repaired;
- 3 dangerous intersections
were upgraded and made safer;
- 2 sections of roadway
were improved;
- 71 miles of roadway
were resurfaced;
- 3 railroad crossings
were upgraded.
The year 1999 also
featured major strides for the State Route 63 Corridor Study.
Led by the Butler County Engineer's Office, this collective undertaking
combined the energy and resources of local and regional representatives
in an effort to explore solutions to growing traffic needs in
northern Butler County. An east-west roadway alignment across
the northern townships is the focus of this study. The project
is divided into two sections:
- Trenton subarea
- Oxford subarea
With attention on upgrading
the status of each section at the State level, the study groups
committed themselves to the cause. As a result of their hard
work and dedication, both portions received a significant boost
when in 1999 the State's Transportation Review Advisory Council
elevated the priority status of each. The Trenton subarea was
given a Tier 1 ranking, ensuring construction funding for fiscal
year 2004, while the Oxford portion was elevated to Tier 2 status.
Readers may follow the project's development via the State
Route 63 Information Page here on our web site.
Rehabilitation
of the Black Covered Bridge
was completed last year. Work on this beautiful and historic
structure was accomplished through the combined efforts of this
office with the Save Our Span Committee and the Oxford Museum
Association. Crews reconstructed the two trusses, refurbished
the siding and flooring, replaced numerous support beams, and
installed a new roof with cedar shingles. The finished project
is something Butler Countians can treasure for years to come
as this remains one of only two covered bridges left in the County.
BCEO snow and ice control
took another significant leap forward during 1999 with the construction
of a new 6,500-ton salt dome --- more than three times larger
than our original structure. This will greatly reduce the risk
of running out of salt during severe winter weather events. For
a complete, in-depth review of BCEO snow and ice control, please
visit the new Snow Page, where you'll
find a lot of helpful and fascinating information.
I hope you'll take
a few moments to read through this year's Annual Report and review
the past year's accomplishments of your County Engineer's Office.
Take a look ahead at what we also plan to be involved with in
2000 --- over $40 million in projects, not including ongoing
work on the State Route 63 Extension. You can keep track of this
construction activity all year long by checking the Current
Projects page and Road Closings
here on www.bceo.org.
This is the BCEO's
third year of offering our Annual Report to the public via our
web site, where it is posted first. Online readers will notice
more project pictures as well as links to other informative areas
of the web site. As always your feedback
is more than welcome. 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. We are able
to function on your behalf because of your support. 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 2000 capital
improvements. These are listed in the section entitled 2000 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.
