Delaware County will use federal stimulus dollars to build a bridge over the CSX railroad tracks on Home Road.
County engineer Chris Bauserman's office put the project on hold last month after the Ohio Department of Transportation said funds expected to come from a program for improving railroad crossing safety no longer were available. The program was to provide $9.2-million of the $10.4-million construction costs.
ODOT spokesperson Brian Hedge said $9.2-million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) will be used to fund the project, instead.
"It was originally being funded under a railroad grade separation program that began back in 2000," Hedge said. "It was a 10-year, $200-million program -- to improve rail crossings throughout the state, and that program was out of funding."
ODOT is able to provide stimulus dollars for the project because construction contracts on ARRA projects statewide have come in below estimated costs, Hedge said.
"So, we've had some savings and we've got that (ARRA) money and need to spend the money," Hedge said. The ARRA requires the money to be spent within a certain time frame.
Patrick Blayney, the county's chief deputy engineer, said the paperwork on the project must be modified to meet ARRA requirements. The project also will need ODOT and the Federal Highway Association approval as an ARRA project. Both entities had approved the work under the railroad safety program, he said.
Blayney said the county and ODOT have been discussing the probability of using stimulus dollars since learning that railroad safety program was determined to be out of money.
"This railroad grade separation is a major linchpin to realizing the goal of the county thoroughfare plan," Blayney said. "Home Road is part of the major east-west artery across southern Delaware County."
Blayney said the project likely would go to bid in 2010.
"We are pleased that the project is going forward, and appreciate ODOT including the Home Road grade separation as one of three railroad grade separation projects that will be funded via the ARRA program," Blayney said in an e-mail.
The balance of $1.2-million of the construction cost is part of the county's almost $4-million share of the project, which has been deposited with ODOT. The other county costs were for engineering design, environmental remediation, and right-of-way acquisition, said Blayney.