After delays, Kettering bridge replacement complete

Replacement work on the Woodman Drive bridge over Little Beaver Creek is now complete, and traffic in the area should be moving at a normal pace, after some extended delays because of an issue with a subcontractor.

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Woodman Drive had been closed since September between East Stroop Road and Wilmington Pike as work continued on replacing old and deteriorating spans. The bridge was built in 1975, and the replacement came in under the originally projected cost of $700,000.

The construction essentially had been finished for almost two weeks, but the bridge had not reopened to traffic as of early Tuesday. That caused additional traffic issues around a main intersection of Wilmington Pike and Stroop Road.

Montgomery County Engineer Paul Gruner said the delay had been caused by a railing that needed to be provided by a subcontractor.

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“The problem is that a railing needs to be installed before we can open it. The railing is to be provided by a subcontractor for the contractor to install it,” he said. “We are putting pressure on the contractor and subcontractor, but we can’t open it without the railing. Since this is the only remaining task for the contractor, there is no work being done at the site.”

By late morning, Gruner offered an update that likely made motorists traveling in that area happy.

“I’ve just been informed that it just opened,” he said.

Two other Kettering bridge projects are coming.

ODOT will pay up to $2 million in construction costs to replace the Ridgeway Road Bridge for all modes of traffic, including vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians. The total estimated cost to replace the bridge, including engineering design and right-of-way costs, is $2,600,000.

Construction on the new bridge will begin in late 2020 or early 2021, when ODOT funding will become available.

The other project is a $350,000 bridge replacement that includes a public art installation and retaining wall work as part of reconstruction of the Shantz Avenue bridge. Work is expected to begin in 2019.

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