Ohio Turnpike representative Meghan Gallagher, left, addressed the Canfield Township trustees in May to inform them about a project regarding the replacement of the U.S. 224 bridge over the Ohio Turnpike in Canfield Township. The project has been delayed, but Gallagher informed trustees it is moving forward this month. Listening to the information are Township Administrator Keith Rogers and Canfield Township Trustees Joe Paloski, Brian Governor and Marie Cartwright. Staff file photo

CANFIELD — After a setback delayed a road project announced in May, it’s now back on track.

The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission is set to replace the U.S. Route 224 bridge in Canfield Township over the Ohio Turnpike.

“The project was withdrawn from public bid because there were some utility conflicts that could not be resolved in a timely manner and required plan revisions,” said Commission Design and Planning Engineer Dan Rodriguez. “This postponement also reduced possible lengthy delays during construction that would have had an adverse effect on local traffic.”

With the delay taken care of, the bridge replacement is back on the board. EZ Pass Retail Program Manager Meghan Gallagher, who made a presentation at the May meeting, sent Canfield trustees a notice that things were back on track.

“We are hoping to go back out to bid beginning of December 2024, hopefully award the project at the January Commission meeting and have the contractor on-site before March 1, 2025,” she wrote in a brief email to trustee Joe Polaski. “There are some weather-dependent activities.”

Rodriguez said the Route 224 bridge is 70 years old. It has been rehabilitated twice, once in 1989 and again in 2016. He said the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission owns and maintains most of the bridges that go over the Turnpike. The only ones it does not own are railroad bridges or other intersecting interstate highway bridges.

Realizing the amount of traffic that crosses the bridge each day, the commission decided to do a two-part replacement.

“The existing bridge will be replaced in two phases,” Rodriguez said. “Phase I will remove and replace the southern half of the bridge. Phase II will remove and replace the northern half of the bridge. Phased construction is the only way the bridge can be constructed and maintain traffic.”

He said the proposed bridge will be similar in length and width, but will have only two spans. The existing bridge has five spans.

During the construction of the new bridge, one lane of traffic will be maintained in each direction on 224.

“We are not anticipating any delays on the Ohio Turnpike,” he said. “Two lanes of traffic will be maintained in each direction throughout the project on the Ohio Turnpike.”

The proposed schedule has work beginning in February of 2025 and continuing through August 2026. The traffic situation already has local officials looking at having plans in place.

“We will be meeting with the Boardman Fire Department and putting a plan together,” said Cardinal Joint Fire District Chief Don Hutchison.

The Township is staying informed on the replacement but will be meeting with Turnpike officials soon to discuss water runoff from the Turnpike that is flowing into the Pebble Beach area. The hope is to find a solution to the runoff that will ease flooding problems in that area.