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Project aims to smooth over Ohio 60

At a glance: ¯ Ohio 60 between Devola and the Morgan County line is being resurfaced under the direction of the Ohio Department of Transportation. ¯ Shelly & Sands is projected to complete the work by the end of August. ¯ ODOT says it is still pursuing reimbursement for a botched micro-surfacing project performed by Ny-Mac along the stretch. Source: Ohio Department of Transportation.

By Janelle Patterson

The Marietta Times

jpatterson@mariettatimes.com

Sonny Cole, 59, of Coolville, sees himself as the final line of defense between traffic and his coworkers.

“I almost got hit three times in one day when it was pouring rain and people were on their darn cell phones,” said Cole.

He’s one of the flag bearers on the Ohio 60 job which began in the middle of June and is on schedule to be complete by the end of August.

The resurfacing project is being administered through the Ohio Department of Transportation District 10 office, and runs between Devola and the Morgan County line, minus the village of Beverly.

“The work is being completed by Shelly & Sands,” explained ODOT Public Information Officer Ashley Rittenhouse. “We have paid out 45 percent of the $3.5 million contract. It is being funded with state emergency money.”

The resurfacing project was originally born out of a botched micro-surfacing project bid in 2016 to provide preventative maintenance for the state route.

According to ODOT, the contractor, Ny-Mac Enterprises, Inc. out of Michigan, did not complete the project to ODOT standards which led to more problems, including cracked windshields from flying debris and further ponding along the route.

“We are still in the process of seeking reimbursement from the surety for the previous contractor, Ny-Mac,” explained Rittenhouse.

No lawsuit has been filed against Ny-Mac as of yet, though the project cost $1,744,502.42.

For months, it’s been a rough ride from Devola to Beverly, with pavement breaks, potholes, ruts and flying stones. Several claims were filed against the state by local residents who said their cars were damaged.

Work is now ongoing to resurface the road, which follows the Muskingum River northward.

“The milling for the project has been completed, and asphalt resurfacing has been performed from the Morgan County line to just south of Lowell. There’s still about 25 percent of the asphalt left to place,” Rittenhouse said on Wednesday. “Once paving is completed, the contractor will be placing berm along the shoulders, doing some minor work on a few bridges and installing permanent traffic control items.”

Stephen Carr, 74, lives 1.5 miles past Arends Ridge, and worked in his garden Wednesday as the Shelly & Sands crews laid new pavement on the milled road in front of his farm and bicentennial barn.

“There’s a tremendous amount of water that comes off of these hills,” Carr described. “Every year (ODOT) has to come back out and clear out the ditches so the road drains properly. And this year it’s been a really wet one, all the way through to the beginning of summer.”

But Carr said he’s been pleased with not only the efficiency of Shelly & Sands’ traffic control, but also their professionalism during his interactions with them.

“There’s not been much of a delay even during the hours when people are headed to and from work,” he added. “The crew has been really efficient this year, and the work they did in January (to patch issues from Ny-Mac until the asphalt plants opened) was also really well done.”

He said he’s looking forward to the berm replacement this go around, all so he doesn’t have to lug his bicycle around before getting in a good ride.

Rittenhouse said ODOT has two inspectors working daily with Shelly & Sands on the project and the project is on schedule to be completed by Aug. 31.

At a glance:

¯ Ohio 60 between Devola and the Morgan County line is being resurfaced under the direction of the Ohio Department of Transportation.

¯ Shelly & Sands is projected to complete the work by the end of August.

¯ ODOT says it is still pursuing reimbursement for a botched micro-surfacing project performed by Ny-Mac along the stretch.

Source: Ohio Department of Transportation.

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