By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Five communities in Wood County are about to be troubled by bridges over water in their town limits.
Wood County Engineer John Musteric is looking to ditch a handful of the county’s 443 bridges that his office has to maintain. On Tuesday, he asked the Wood County Commissioners to notify five municipalities that some of the bridges in their jurisdictions will now be in their care.
Those bridges are in:
- Tontogany, on Main Street, built in 2010.
- Pemberville, on Bridge Street, built in 1947.
- North Baltimore, on Water Street, built in 1892 and renovated in 1984.
- Fostoria, on Park Avenue, built in 2015.
- Rossford, one on Colony Road, built in 1939; one on Schreier Road, built in 1959 and renovated in 2007.
These bridges have been maintained by the county for years – but are actually the responsibility of the municipalities, according to Musteric and Joanie Cherry, from the county engineer’s office.
“They should not have been under the county engineer as long as they have been,” Cherry said.
With more than 400 other bridges in Wood County under his office’s care, Musteric said he is trying to make the most of his bridge repair budget.
“We’re still looking at ways to cut costs,” he told the commissioners. “We’re trying to stretch that dollar.”
Under the Ohio Revised Code, bridges that are located on roadways that do not extend outside the village limits qualify to be turned over to those communities to maintain.
So while Pemberville has three bridges over the Portage River, only the one on Bridge Street will be turned over to the village, since that street begins and ends inside village limits. The other two bridges – on Water Street and Bierley Avenue – will stay with the county since those roads extend beyond Pemberville limits.
Wood County Administrator Andrew Kalmar further explained the issue to the commissioners.
“The county cannot legally spend money on bridges that are not ours,” he said.
Cherry agreed.
“Really, we don’t have the authority to spend money on these,” she said.
Bridges can be quite costly to maintain and replace. The average bridge costs $350,000 to replace, while larger structures – like the Pemberville bridge – can cost close to $1 million.
Cherry said the county has done beam improvements and plating on the Pemberville bridge that have extended its life. However, she estimated that Bridge Street structure only has between six and eight years of life left.
Wood County Commissioner Ted Bowlus voiced concern about a small village being able to afford such expenses.
“That’s a tremendous load to put on a municipality,” Bowlus said.
But Cherry said grant funding is available – with some grants specifically earmarked for municipalities.
“There are resources out there to fund them,” Cherry said.
The county engineer’s office “will walk you through how to plan this bridge, fund this bridge and get it replaced,” Kalmar assured.
All bridges in Ohio must be inspected annually – and the county engineer’s office will provide that service this year. After that, the Ohio Department of Transportation can inspect the structures, possibly for no cost, Cherry said.
