A detour will send drivers west on Oxford Trenton Road and north on Huston Road. Southbound traffic will reverse this route, the BCEO said.
A projects map is available online at gismaps.bceo.org/portal/apps/Shortlist/index.html to assist drivers figuring out alternative routes.
The roadway is scheduled to reopen May 10. The culvert replacement is expected to improve drainage and prevent erosion to keep roads in good condition.
Nearly $30 million in planned Butler County road and infrastructure projects this year reflect how construction prices have soared and created a challenge for the county engineer’s office when it came to estimating costs.
Butler County Engineer Greg Wilkens told the Journal-News in March the state has estimated road projects have gone up 20% over the past four years.
Wilkens is responsible for improving and maintaining county-owned roads but also bids and supervises township bridge, culvert and road projects. Those jurisdictions pay for the projects within their territories. Cities and the state handle their own roads.
Butler County commissioners used $5 million in federal COVID-19 pandemic relief money to help townships pave more roads this year. Under the annual paving program, Wilkens’ office resurfaced 43.45 miles of county and township roads last year, compared to 72.87 miles planned this year.
In 2020, the county paid $166,793 per mile for road work. This year it is paying $249,992 per mile, which is nearly a 50% increase.
The Butler County Engineer’s Office’s total program this year includes 49 projects fixing bridges, culverts, roads and other things.
Staff Writer Denise Callahan contributed to this report.
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