HURON COUNTY ENGINEER S OFFICE 2017 ENGINEER S ANNUAL REPORT The Ohio Revised Code requires that each Ohio County Engineer publish an annual report to the commissioners outlining the general condition of the roads and bridges in their county. Our office is responsible for 226 miles of county roads, 406 bridges and 3,485 culverts covering an area of 497 square miles with a staff of 30 hardworking team members. Last year s mild winter allowed us to transfer some budgeted money for salt into asphalt materials for additional pavement repairs. The average winter typically requires 4,000 tons of salt and 8,000 tons of grit to be used for snow and ice control. The winter of 2016-17 only required about half that amount with most being used during a few ice events. These unused funds allowed for us to get a jump start on preparing roads for summer pavement projects. We use a combination of hot mix asphalt and chip and seal for our surface treatments. While it poses a short term inconvenience for residents, chip and seal provides an opportunity to maintain the roads at a more affordable cost. Chip and seal is about onefifth the cost of conventional asphalt overlays and extends the time between resurfacing roads, resulting in lower costs over the long term. Although we have made progress over the last year with our road program, over 40% of the county roads are considered in poor condition. There are 15 bridges with weight restrictions throughout the county. While most of our smaller bridges are in relatively good shape many of our larger bridges are nearing the end of their useful lives. These larger bridges put strain on the budget as many of these cost over $800,000 to replace. We will continue to do our best to create a balance between the road and bridge program, ensuring a strong infrastructure for the future. Lee E. Tansey, P.E., P.S. Huron County Engineer Huron County Engineer s Office 150 Jefferson Street Norwalk, Ohio 44857 419-668-1997 419-668-8308 Fax social@huroncountyengineer.org Hours: 7:00 a.m. 3:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday Visit us on the web at: www.huroncountyengineer.org Find us, like us, share us on Facebook
REVENUE EXPENSE $5,900,000 $5,900,000 Permissive Tax, $186,000 License Tax, $1,904,000 OPWC Funded Projects, $828,000 Gasoline Tax, $2,390,000 Federal/State Funded, $418,000 Road & Bridge- Contracts, $2,416,000 Equipment & Repairs, $464,000 Materials & Fuel, $659,000 Salaries & Wages, $1,585,000 Benefits, $613,000 Fines, Refunds, $104,000 Other & Reimburse, $70,000 Building- Maintenance /Repairs, $163,000 Gas Excise Tax WHERE OUR REVENUE COMES FROM Federal Tax: $0.184 gasoline and $0.244 diesel per gallon (unchanged since 1993) State Tax: $0.28 per gallon-gas Excise Tax (unchanged since 2006) 9.3% of the 28 cents goes to Ohio Counties. Each County receives 1/88 th of this revenue, we receive approx. $2,390,000. Motor Vehicle Registration Fees The Ohio Revised Code 4501.04 requires collection and distribution of license plates for highway maintenance. For a passenger car, the basic annual fee is $34.50. Breakdown for a passenger car: $20.00 License Fee $11.00 Highway Safety Tax Ohio State Highway Patrol $ 3.50 Deputy Fee Additional Permissive Fee can be added, per individual entity. $34.50 Total Basic Annual Fee The Huron County Engineer s Office receives approximately $1,904,000. Funding Challenges In order to maximize funds our office actively seeks state and federal funding to leverage local dollars to fund projects. This represents $1,246,000 or 21% of our 2017 budget. For the foreseeable future, our revenue will stay flat or decrease slightly as cars become more fuel efficient and electric cars become more popular. When combining this with annual increases in labor and material, our ability to provide the same level of service in the future will become increasingly difficult. Some examples of cost increases since 2006: Hot mix asphalt installed $210 per ton, now $300 per ton, increase of 30% Stone average $11.00 per ton, now $14.00 per ton, increase of 22% Chip and seal emulsion installed $1.27 per gallon, now $2.35, increase of increase of 46% Generally, what it cost to pave 1 ½ mile of road in 2006, only allows us to pave 1 mile of road today Page 2
Omega Road Bridge Greenwich Township 88 span Pre-stressed Concrete Box Beam Contractor: Crawford Construction Lisbon, Ohio Construction Cost: $437,500 Funding: 95% Federal, 5% Local Fairfield Angling Road Bridge* Fairfield Township 30 span Pre-cast Arch Contractor: R&I Construction Tiffin, Ohio Construction Cost: $389,000 Funding: 100% State Plymouth East Road Bridge* New Haven Township 60 span Pre-stressed Concrete Box Beam Contractor: R&I Construction Tiffin, Ohio Construction Cost: $473,000 Funding: 100% State Town Line Road 12 Bridge Fairfield/Ripley Townships 12 X 8 3 Sided Box Culvert Contractor: Huron County Forces Construction Cost: $62,000 Funding: 100% Local Fayette Road Bridge New London Township 34 span Pre-stressed Concrete Box Beam Contractor: Huron County Forces/Various Contractors Construction Cost: $200,000 Funding: 67% OPWC, 33% Local Peru Center Road Bridge Greenfield Township 12 X 8 3 Sided Box Culvert Contractor: Huron County Forces Construction Cost: $58,000 Funding: 100% Local BRIDGE REPLACEMENTS *Ohio Bridge Partnership Program (Last year for this program) Page 3
Butler Road Repairs and Resurfacing ROAD RESURFACING The project included nearly 10 miles of improvements from SR 162 near New London to SR 20 near Wakeman. County crews performed pavement rehabilitation work along with various drainage improvements prior to paving operations. The asphalt resurfacing and paint markings were awarded to Gerken Paving, Inc. Total project cost of $1,025,500, with a grant from Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) in the amount of $604,220 with the balance being paid by the Engineers Office. Section Line Road 8 The project included 1 ½ miles of improvements performed by Melway Paving Company. Total project cost of $158,000 with a grant from Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) in the amount of $100,000 with the balance being paid by the Engineers Office. Chip and Seal The 2017 Chip and Seal Program included over 40 miles at a total cost of $496,000. The following Roads were completed: Fitchville River Road - 7.9 miles Town Line Road 12 10.4 miles Section Line Road 30 8.4 miles Base Line Road 7.4 miles Peru West Section Line 2.2 miles Hasbrock Road 0.6 miles Niver Road 2.6 miles Egypt Road 0.8 miles Fairfield Angling Road 3.2 miles Page 4
MAINTENANCE PROGRAM County crews perform various tasks throughout the year from road and bridge repairs to mowing and snow/ice control. Road Repairs 40 miles of crack sealing and 3,000 tons of asphalt material placed Crack Sealing Asphalt Leveling Partial Depth Repairs Bridge Repairs Bridge Repairs Various repairs were made to extend the life of our structures Steel Beam Replacement Deck Replacement Outside Beam Repair Auster Road Star Road Town Line Road 12 Culvert Replacements 17 culverts installed throughout the county ranging in size from 12 to 60 48 Plastic Culvert 60 Concrete Culvert 36 Plastic Culvert Bismark Road Murray Road Butler Road Page 5
Road Side Mowing County road sides were mowed 3 times with our tractors traveling approx. 1,000 miles. Snow and Ice Control We have 10 plow trucks that are staffed and ready, 24 hours a day/7 days a week. Community Involvement Throughout the year the County Engineer s Office had opportunities to be involved in the local community. Huron County Fair Norwalk 4 th of July Parade Plymouth Schools Job Fair Engineer s Other Duties Restoring a Piece of History Review lot splits with the County Tax Map Office Original stone monument circa 1870 Perform survey work for our projects being preserved by the County Survey Crew. Act as Engineer for Huron County s 19 Townships Establishing the township line between Perform annual inspections on all bridges Wakeman and Townsend Townships. Maintain thousands of road signs Maintain road side drainage system Page 6