Time has taken its toll on the bridge at Ohio 18 and Interstate 75, just east of North Baltimore. Chunks of concrete are missing from the structure. Steel reinforcement bars are exposed and rusting. Ohio Department of Transportation officials were in North Baltimore Tuesday to unveil a plan to address these problems. Mike Ligibel, district planning and programs administrator for ODOT District 2, said the current concrete slab bridge was part of the original I-75 project from the late 1950s and early 1960s, and the volume of traffic has increased greatly.
Plans call for replacing the structure with a steel beam construction.
The proposed bridge will have four lanes and three traffic signals. The two county roads located north and south of the interstate will be moved away from the entrance and exit ramps to enhance the safety and capacity of the interchange, Ligibel added. The state will be acquiring the right of way for this project in 2001, followed by construction in 2002. Work is expected to take two construction seasons to complete due to the large amount of embankment work required. ODOT will accept public input about the project until Oct. 24.