County Road 99 to get more improvements

FINDLAY — More improvements are coming to County Road 99 this fall. Findlay City Engineer Jeremy Kalb said the CSX Railroad crossing, just east of Main Street on County Road 99, is set to be replaced, part of the improvements being made with the construction of the diverging diamond interchange at Interstate 75. In a letter to council, dated Aug. 11, Kalb said the Ohio Department of Transportation has worked out an agreement with CSX to replace the crossing due to excessive wear. Kalb said ODOT plans to resurface County Road 99 from Wellness Way to Main Street. However, current plans do not include resurfacing of the section of roadway between Main Street and the railroad crossing. At Tuesday's regular council meeting, legislation was introduced that will allow the city to contract with Miller Bros. Construction, Archbold, to resurface that section of the road. "Since that section of roadway is in the process of being annexed, it is desired to team up with ODOT and Miller Bros Construction to resurface that section of roadway when they are in the area," said Kalb. "Miller Bros Construction currently has that area scheduled to be milled and resurfaced around Sept. 29." The legislation would authorize city administrators to waive formal bidding requirements and contract with the company to repave from Main Street to the railroad crossing. It will cost the city an estimated $158,000, using prices by Miller Bros already included in its bid for the interchange work. The money will be taken from the city's 2025 Street Resurfacing Project. The interchange will shift eastbound and westbound traffic to the other side of the bridge at signalized crossovers, eliminating left turns across traffic and the traffic signals for left turns. Traffic can then enter the interstate in a free-flow movement to the ramps, which reduces the long start and stop times of trucks at signals. A similar interchange is located in Perrysburg at Interstate 475 and Ohio 25. The design also improves safety by reducing conflict points, according to ODOT. Compared to a conventional diamond interchange, a diverging diamond interchange reduces vehicle-to-vehicle conflict points by nearly 50% and eliminates many of the most severe crash types.