GALION – Galion Mayor Tom O’Leary said the state Route 598 bridge replacement project will be completed on schedule. The pile driving for the new foundation is finished and the project is moving along ahead of schedule.
“The rest of the project has been torturous,” said O’Leary. South of the bridge, the 598 widening project has come to a stand-still. That portion needs sidewalks installed and lane striping. O’Leary said the frustration with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) projects is that the city is at the mercy of ODOT’s schedule and its relationship with its contractors.
O’Leary noted that the city has very little influence when it comes to state-run projects and north of the bridge is no better. But that it is due, in part, to a water main that was mislabeled many years ago and has to be replaced and moved 120 feet. The concern is that winter will hit and construction on the widening project will come to a halt.
The city is hoping the entire project, the widening and bridge replacement, will be completed by Thanksgiving.
On the other hand, the Hesby Drive project, which was scheduled carefully to coincide with the bridge closing, is finished and traffic is running smoothly. Hesby Drive runs from state Route 19, behind the Galion South strip mall, to the Galion City Schools campus with a connection T at Heise Park Drive just past the widening project. Waterlines, sewer and storm water systems were also installed and efforts have begun to find commercial developers willing to invest businesses in the new 25 acre accessed area.
O’Leary sees considerable potential for businesses there with easy access to the schools and Avita’s Pediatric Therapy Center and DaVita Dialysis Center.
