Butler County Engineer
Greg Wilkens reports that a major bridge replacement on Allen
Road in West Chester Township will begin on June 8. Located just
east of Windisch Road, the existing bridge is a narrow steel
pony truss built in 1956 and was posted with load restrictions
in December 2003. It will be replaced by a much wider three-span
concrete box beam bridge designed to accommodate future upgrades
to Allen Road and the nearby Windisch Road intersection.
Design and engineering
of a new structure was accelerated due to the bridge's critical
impact on the local business community, according to Wilkens.
At his request, Butler County Commissioners passed a resolution
last year declaring the Allen Road Bridge project an emergency.
The resolution states that "the County Engineer considers
the load limit and the resulting (load) limitations of traffic
a hardship on the traveling public" and that the "bridge
must be replaced as soon as possible."
"What this means
is that we can bypass the conventional procedures required for
hiring a design consultant," Wilkens explained in an earlier
news release. Design and engineering of a new structure began
almost immediately in an effort to expedite the actual construction
phase more quickly. The aging structure was originally slated
to be replaced in 2007 but the BCEO reallocated funding and revamped
its project schedule to accommodate the project this year.
A contract for the
project was awarded to SK Construction of Middletown which submitted
a low bid of $479,502. State Issue 2 funds will be utilized by
the Butler County Engineer's Office to help pay for 79 percent
of the project's cost. The remaining local match amount consists
of BCEO funds.
Road To
Close For Three Months
BCEO engineers say
that the road will be closed for about three months while the
new bridge is built. Wilkens noted that Allen Road is an essential
roadway for commerce in the Township's southern section. "This
is a critical link for businesses and truck traffic. We plan
to make every effort to expedite construction and reopen the
road as soon as possible."
During the closure,
eastbound Allen Road traffic will detour northeast on Muhlhauser
Road, east on Union Centre Boulevard, and south on Cincinnati
Dayton Road. Westbound traffic will reverse this route.
Motorists are encouraged
to check the Road Closings
page on the BCEO web site as the best source for possible date
and status changes concerning this closure.
