Commissioners approve legislation for Ohio 7 project to improve highway safety
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MARIETTA - Washington County Commissioners approved preliminary legislation for an $8.7 million federal project along Ohio 7 on Thursday.
The Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant was awarded in 2024 and was envisioned following several accidents between the Blue Knob and Veto Road intersections with the state route, according to Roger Wright in a letter to commissioners.
In the letter Wright states that, following the award, the Ohio Department of Transportation studied the corridor and engaged with the stakeholders along the state route, proposing multiple traffic improvements. He said a large amount of heavy commercial truck traffic utilizes this roadway and typically enter and exit from opposite sides of the road, requiring lane changes within a small corridor.
The project is intended to improve logistics and remove railroad conflicts, he said.
The legislation would allow ODOT to move forward with the bidding and construction of the project as a portion of the project encompasses Blue Knob Road, which is a county road.
According to the project description, it will construct access management and safety improvements over Ohio 7 to the river port on the Ohio River. This includes roadway widening, profile improvement and resurfacing on Veto and Blue Knob Road.
In other business, commissioners approved eight additional appropriation requests, a then and now for $38,161 for purchase of a new vehicle from Victory Toyota for the building department and two road use maintenance agreements with AEP Ohio and the engineer's office.
The additional appropriations were $10,000 for contract services and $12,000 for maintenance for Washington County Common Pleas Court; $5,617.71 for the auditor's real estate assessment fund, $204,311 for the Board of Developmental Disabilities for the purchase of a second residential home, $500,000 for contract services in the Behavioral Health Levy Fund, $562,674 for capital outlay for phase 2 of the capital pump station fund, sewer fund for $10,000 for electric and $5,000 for operating supplies for the sewer fund, and $577,456.69 for contract services for the Children Services fund.
The road use maintenance agreements are for the Patten Mills AEP transmission line and Watertown AEP 138kV transmission line projects. The Watertown transmission line project would build approximately 4.1 miles of transmission line from the AEP West Watertown Station to Washington Electric Cooperative’s Watertown Station. The agreement would establish that any damages to the roads during the project, would be the responsibility of AEP.
Sophie Wheeler can be reached at swheeler@newsandsentinel.com.