Various capital improvements for 2021 have been planned for roadways in Fayette County totaling $2,355,116.12, according to Fayette County Engineer Steve Luebbe.

2021 Paving

Within the paving program, asphalt resurfacing of existing 20.02 miles of pavement will be completed—totaling approximately $907,076.91.

“The pavement surface degrades to the point that it needs a new surface to maintain the ride-ability of the road and keep the roadway from degrading from the top down,” explained Luebbe via email. “Pavements can also fail from the bottom up, but that requires different methods to maintain.”

The material that is laid for asphalt resurfacing is called asphalt concrete. According to Luebbe, it is a mixture of sands, specifically sized crushed limestone and a liquid emulsion—all of which are combined to meet certain specifications.

The specification used locally is called 404LV which is different than what the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and most other counties use.

“It works well for us, and it allows us to pave more roads, because it is laid in a thinner course than a standard asphalt mix. We expect that paving will be a month or two earlier this summer as we do not have any grant monies that we need to accommodate with respect to the timing,” wrote Luebbe.

Paving projects include the following:

-Stafford Road, 2.51 miles, from Greenfield Sabina Road to U.S. 62, local: $115,722.60

-Anderson Road, 3 miles, from U.S. 62 to State Route 41, local: $134,310.07

-Reid Road, 3.21 miles, from Carr to Madison County line, local: $155,455.84

-Miami Trace Road, 4.22 miles, Washington New Martinsburg Road to State Route 753, local: $187,980.20

-Creek Road, 0.690 miles, Rockbridge to Flakes Ford, local: $29,396.23

-Bogus Road, 6.39 miles, Washington Waterloo Road to State Route 753, local: $284,211.97

2021 chip seal

The chip seal program is a little different than an asphalt resurfacing and is a pavement treatment that protects the surface and extends the life of the pavement, according to Luebbe. It is a little different than an asphalt resurfacing as this treatment uses asphalt and stone, but they are not mixed together.

The liquid asphalt is sprayed onto the pavement and the stone, which is all one size, and is then spread on top of the liquid. This process does not provide as smooth a surface as the asphalt, and it is especially rough in the first few weeks. Eventually, the stone (or chips) embed into the surface and it does become smoother.

“We use this method mostly on roads with less traffic. It is a fraction of the cost of asphalt and still provides several years of added pavement life,” wrote Luebbe. “Overall, it is a very cost effective method of pavement preservation. Most, if not all counties in the state, utilize chip seals for some portion of their roadways. Rural counties especially, including some of our surrounding counties, utilize chip seals almost exclusively because it is so cost effective.”

The pavement marking project is striping for the roadways that are paved and chip sealed this year.

“We do at least a small one every year, because we need to restripe those roads. This year (as we do most years) is paint. Last year, we did a large striping project that utilized thermoplastic in lieu of paint. It lasts longer and shows up better, but it is significantly more expensive—we got a federal grant to cover it so we spent the extra money,” explained Luebbe.

Projects planned under the chip seal program will cover 9.28 miles totaling $120,239.21. Those projects include:

-Morris Road, 0.8 miles, Barger to Clinton County line, local: $10,133.36

-Carrsmill Jamestown Road, 3.36 miles, State Route 41 to State Route 729, local: $42,465.11

-Pearson Octa Road, 1.01 miles, Greene County Line to Marchant Luttrell Road, local: $12,930.93

-Jeff. West Lancaster Road, 2.44 miles, West Lancaster to State Route 734, local: $34,067.40

-Cisco Road, 1.67 miles, Old U.S. 35 to dead end, local $20,642.41

2021 bridge work

Bridge work planned for the year is significant, according to Luebbe.

“(Three of the bridge work projects) are large box culverts that will be replaced with our crews under what is known as force account work,” wrote Luebbe.

Those three projects include:

-Mathews Road, local: $95,000

-Bonner Road, local: $95,000

-Bush Road, local: $90,000

The last four bridge projects are large bridges that will be contracted out later in the year. Those include:

-Zimmerman Road, local: $95,000

-Prairie Road, local: $110,000

-Snowhill Road, local: $110,000

-Harold Road, local $40,000

“They will get substantial rehabilitation to extend the life an additional 20-plus years—which is our goal. The cost to replace those structures would easily surpass $1 million each, so if we can do some extensive repairs, we can make them last. The roads will be closed during construction to speed up the work,” wrote Luebbe.

In total, the local contribution to bridge work will be $635,000 while other sources will provide $380,000 toward the bridge work.

2021 guardrail project

The guardrail project will be contracted out later this year.

“We received a $300,000 federal grant to upgrade and replace guardrail in various locations around the county,” wrote Luebbe.

There are at least 14 locations where existing bridges have guardrails that fall well short of today’s standards, according to Luebbe.

“We’ve done several of these projects over the past two decades,” he wrote.

The local contribution to guardrails will be $30,000 with other sources providing $270,000.

2021 Culvert replacements

The larger culvert replacements for the year have been scheduled. These will be done prior to paving this summer.

“We have many more culverts that need replaced, but they are smaller and typically require just a day or two for a road closing,” explained Luebbe.

Culvert replacement projects include three for Stafford Road, one for Creek Road, and one for Jeffersonville-West Lancaster Road—totaling $12,800 (local).

Information in this article came from Fayette County Engineer Steve Luebbe.