PERRY – Starting Monday, those who travel north and south using Vrooman road will have to find an alternate route.
The Lake County Engineering Department is closing the Vrooman Road hill from Route 84 in order to prepare for a $30 million Ohio Department of Transportation Project that is set to begin this summer.
The road is closing prior to the start of the project because engineers are worried about the integrity of a 50-year-old retaining wall on the south side of the roadway.
It’s needed to move construction equipment into the valley on the north side of the existing bridge that is being replaced.
It could cost upwards of $1 million to repair the wall if it gets any worse, and the county doesn’t want to take that chance knowing that the road will be permanently removed as part of ODOT’s plans.
“It is extremely critical to the construction of this bridge. We have no way of getting construction materials across the other bridge,” said Lake County Engineer James Gills.
ODOT’s project involves building a new bridge at the intersection of Lane Road and Route 84 connecting to Vrooman Road on the south side of the river valley.
The bridge will be 2,000 feet long and 100 feet tall, bypassing the existing infrastructure.
The Vrooman Road hill will be removed, Mason’s Landing Park will be moved to the south side of the river, and the existing dilapidated bridge will be replaced with a pedestrian bridge.
All of those things is what make the project so expensive.
“The only people that really call me are the ones that are upset that they have to use a fairly long detour,” said Gills.
“I’d have to go all the way to 90 and come in the other way. This, I just come down the hill and walk the trail,” said Neil Peters who often visit’s Mason’s Landing Park.
“I don’t think it’s necessary,” he said about the project.
About 4,000 cars travel over the current bridge each day. Is 4,000 cars worth $30 million?
Gills says replacing what exists isn’t an option. And that the cost of this project is in-line with what is required.
“The roadway down and back up the hill does not meet federal standards. They’re very steep, they’re very dangerous,” Gills said.
“We have a lot of trouble during the winter time, keeping it maintained and keeping it open. Plus, the bridge floods all the time. ODNR will not let us raise the bridge. It must stay where it is if we rebuild it.”
The new project will be bid on by contractors in the coming months. Construction will begin this summer.
Gills says construction will be accelerated because the required pieces have already been manufactured.
He expects it to take about 18 months for the project to be complete.