MOUNT VERNON — Bids were opened before Knox County Commissioners Thursday for the county’s Parrott Street Bridge Replacement project. Also Thursday, a proposed Wally Road Multi-modal Corridor — involving three counties in a potential $25 million multi-use trail project — was discussed by the commissioners and County Engineer Cameron Keaton.
Each of five bids opened for the Parrott Street Bridge replacement were under the county engineer’s estimate of $920,000. The lowest bid of $886,900 came from V.O. Menuez & Sons Inc. of Millersburg. After bid packages are thoroughly examined, the lowest bid should be accepted within a week if all project requirements are met, he offered. Other bids came from George J. Igel & Co. Inc., $895,702.20; Shelly & Sands Inc., $956,953.40; Rietschlin Construction Inc., $966,060; and Complete General Construction, $1,069,154.14.
“My crew’s actually going to do the demolition of the bridge,” Keaton said. “We’re going to try and save the outside trusses.” He added that if the bridge is scrapped for steel its parts are likely valued around $3,000.
“The beams underneath the bridge are what’s rusted out,” Keaton added. “The trusses on the side that you can see from above are still in very good condition.” He plans to break the old bridge into four pieces at the engineer’s yard and work with steel experts on galvanizing the metal.
“And then we might be able to repurpose it and send it someplace,” he said.
The city of Mount Vernon has also been working on its much larger portion of Parrott Street improvements at South Main Street, commissioners noted.
Commissioners also heard an update from Keaton involving the proposed $25 million Wally Road Multi-modal Corridor Concept Plan, a three-county concept involving Knox, Holmes and Ashland counties. The proposed multi-use corridor, 16.5 miles in length and mostly flat as Wally Road follows along the Mohican River, would need to start with the three counties agreeing to help fund a concept plan, Keaton said. The proposed corridor would start at the Bridge of Dreams near Brinkhaven and proceed north to Loudonville.
The concept plan is set at cost of $48,000, and Holmes County — with its county Engineer Chris Young taking the lead on the project during recent stakeholder meetings, Keaton said — will cover the cost with hope that Ashland and Knox counties each contribute $16,000. The majority of the proposed corridor lies within Knox County, commissioners noted.
The Wally Road corridor has been called “Ohio’s largest recreational area,” one with more than 2,000 campsites. Its proximity along the Mohican River makes it a haven for water enthusiasts who enjoy canoeing and kayaking.
Keaton noted that Holmes County is taking the lead because of the value of the area to the regional economy. The project would be largely grant funded and there are federal grants available for such large projects, he offered. Gov. Mike DeWine is behind such recreational projects, he noted, with the state Department of Natural Resources and TourismOhio recently announcing the release of the Ohio Trails Vision. It is a document serving as a framework for state government to work with communities and land managers to advance trail systems in the state.
According to a “Project Fact Sheet” received by commissioners, other financial components of the Wally Road Multi-modal Corridor Plan and their projected costs include: a future Corridor Plan, $250,000; future engineering and construction documents. $3 million; and future construction and administration, $21.7 million. Under the timeline provided, project engineering could be completed by July of next year, with funding secured later in 2020 and construction set to begin in 2021. According to the fact sheet, the Wally Road Scenic Byway receives up to 1 million visitors per year.
