The Silica Sand Road bridge will be closed for 90 days and widened

Motorists who drive Silica Sand Road in northern Portage County will have to find alternative routes as the bridge over Eagle Creek will be closed for three months starting Aug. 2.

The bridge is located about 900 feet west of Colton Road in Windham Township, on the border of Nelson Township.

“It’s a bad bridge. I’m glad it’s getting done. It’s seen its day,” Nelson Trustee Anna Mae VanDerHoeven said.

The new bridge will still be two lanes, but will be 26-feet wide as opposed to the current 20 feet, said Jim Kusner, a bridge engineer with the Portage County Engineer’s Office.

To avoid the bridge, take Silica Sand Road west to Windham-Parkman Road, which heads south to 82 or north to Nelson Circle. Motorists headed east may take Silica Sand Road to Ohio 534 or detour to Colton Road or Shanks Downes Road, both of which run south to Route 82, Windham Township Trustee Dan Burns said.

“They’ll have to do almost a circle there. It will be very inconvenient for the people living there, but once it’s done it will be a much safer bridge. Better safe than sorry,” VanDerHoeven said.

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Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.