Wood County is going to focus on road projects this year, then may shift attention to bridges next year.
Nearly 30 miles of roads will be improved this year at an estimated cost of $6.3 million, Wood County
Engineer John Musteric told the commissioners at their meeting Tuesday.
The county’s share is $3.1 million with the balance funded through federal dollars or grant money.
This going to be a “very aggressive” year for road work, Musteric said.
Oregon Road, from the Northwood city limits south to the Ohio Turnpike, will be repaved and restriped.
The cost estimate for those 3.64 miles is $3.2 million with the county paying $1 million with the balance
paid by federal funding.
The 1.69 miles of Oregon Road from the turnpike south to U.S. 20 will be milled at a cost of $259,875.
“It probably won’t be at the same time, it will be right after,” Musteric said, although an attempt will
be made to use the same contractor.
The 1.63 miles of Luckey Road, from Ohio 105 to Sugar Ridge Road, will be smoothed out at an estimated
cost of $441,000.
“The ride-ability of that is pretty bad through there,” Musteric said.
The same can be said for Emerson Road, from Jerry City Road to Ohio 281, he said. Upgrading that 2.04
miles will cost the county $493,176 with an Ohio Public Works Commission grant and loan supplying
$412,500 toward the total project cost of $905,676.
Huffman Road will be finished from Eagleville Road to Bull Creek bridge.
“We probably should have done this a couple years ago,” Musteric said.
The cost to complete that 2.20 miles of road is $400,200.
Custar Road also will see some improvements from Ohio 18 to Jerry City Road. Estimated cost is $487,872
for that 3.50-mile stretch.
Fifteen additional miles will be micro-surfaced using funds set aside by the commissioners and sales tax
receipts.
“It really gives it a nice ride,” Musteric said about the process.
Micro-surfacing is a polymer-based paving process that bonds with the existing pavement to create a
better surface.
Depending on how bids come in, other potential road projects include Bays, Wayne, Pemberville, Tracy and
East Broadway, he said.
Musteric anticipates spending $587,858 on these projects.
Commissioner Doris Herringshaw asked how much of the road would be done.
The entire width, Musteric said. The county may tar and chip the road first, then put the sealant down,
he said.
“We just don’t go out and micro-surface. We do another treatment before that and this is like a surface
treatment on top of that,” he said.
Micro-surfacing does require the pavement to be dry, so work will be done later this summer. It takes
about 30 minutes to dry, he said.
“It goes very fast and you can get traffic right back on it,” Musteric said.
Anticipated bridge projects will cost $1.5 million with $100,000 coming from federal funding, he said.
The Hull Prairie Road bridge located 0.10 mile north of Roachton Road in Perrysburg Township will be
rebuilt once school is out for the summer, Musteric said. The estimated cost is $850,000.
This will complete all bridge work in that area as another Hull Prairie Road bridge was completed last
year, he said.
The Stony Ridge Road bridge 0.11 miles north of Ohio 582 in Webster Township also will get a makeover
with 80% of the project paid for with government funds. The local cost of the project is $125,000.
“These bridges are spread all over,” Musteric said. “Hopefully, the weather cooperates.”
Commissioner Ted Bowlus complimented the reconstruction work done on the bridge on Anderson Road.
“It makes a difference, doesn’t it,” Musteric replied.
Other bridge projects include:
• Gorrill Road west of the Mitchell Road intersection in Bowling Green. It will cost an estimated
$130,000 to replace the superstructure.
• Cloverdale Road approximately 0.08 miles south of Jerry City Road in Bloom Township at an estimated
cost of $125,000. The bridge will be replaced with a culvert.
• Mears Road between Tank Farm and Yates roads in Bloom Township at an estimated price of $140,000. The
bridge will be replaced with a culvert.
• Long Judson Road west of the Tontogany Road intersection in Plain/Washington townships at an estimated
price of $150,000. This is a superstructure replacement.
Musteric said they were working on No. 4 bridges. Bridges go by a General Appraisal Number from zero
(closed) to nine (new).
County Administrator Andrew Kalmar asked if there were any remarkable projects planned for 2022.
“They’re all remarkable,” Musteric said. “They’re all a challenge one way or another.”
He said his office is considering doing more bridges and fewer roads next year, and then focusing on
roads again in 2023.
“We always wish for more, but there is a reality here,” Herringshaw said.
