County inks deal with Norfolk Southern Railway for Ravenna Road bridge repairs

The Ravenna Road bridge over the Norfolk Southern Railway is one step closer to being replaced as Portage County commissioners on Oct. 24 approved a construction agreement with the railway company.

Mike Collins, project manager with the county engineer’s office, said the agreement was needed to coordinate workers’ safety and the safe movement of trains.

The Ravenna Road bridge, built in 1983, had provided motorists coming from Brady Lake Road with easy access to Towner’s Woods. Ever since the bridge closed in 2017, motorists have detoured up Lake Rockwell Road to Ravenna Road, approaching the Towner’s Woods parking lot from the north.

Collins said construction was set to begin late last year and to have been completed this year, but arriving at the railroad coordination agreement took longer than expected.

Pending final approval from ODOT, Collins said the current timeframe is to start work in early 2025. Funds are already in place, including $1.4 million in state funds and some $200,000 in county funds. Because the bridge will include a hike-and-bike lane, the Portage Park District is kicking in about $80,000 in what Collins called “local dollars” and $300,000 in grant money it received. Collins estimated the total project cost at $2 million.

The commissioners on Oct. 24 also authorized the engineer’s office to seek out companies to provide design services for repairs on Kent’s Stow Street bridge.

In March 2022, the Stow Street bridge sprouted a row of orange barrels to keep motorists away from what the county engineer’s office called “localized deterioration.” In plainspeak, that means a routine inspection revealed small rust spots just under the bridge’s railing, but it was enough to prompt the county to investigate what fix, if any, was needed.

More than two and half years later, barrels still line the south side of the bridge.

Funding those repair services will be a $250,000 grant the county received. Collins said the total project cost depends on the final design. He said the county engineer’s office will seek federal and state funding, as well as dollars from the city of Kent. He anticipated that the design would accommodate both north and southbound pedestrian and bike traffic.

Collins said he hopes the design portion of the project will be completed by early 2026. No word on when construction will actually start.