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ZANESVILLE, Ohio – With the Interstate 70 reconstruction grabbing all the attention, there are several county road and bridge projects slated for 2026.

Muskingum County Engineer Mark Eicher listed some of the major transportation tasks that the county has slated for later in the year.

“For 2026 we have a little over 17 miles of paving, new overlays. It’ll be typically an inch-and-a-half overlay over top of the  existing asphalt. That’s equivalent to about $2 million dollars worth of projects right there. We have two bridges that we are bidding out, that will be… contractors will be doing. One’s the First Street Bridge in Roseville, the other is right up here at Kopchak,” Eicher said.

Scioto County Engineer Darren LeBrun announced on Wednesday that the Engineer’s Office has been awarded nearly $2.8 million in transportation grant funding to improve safety and infrastructure across the county. The funding includes up to $2,298,905 in Local Bridge Replacement funds to replace the truss bridge on Swords Road, a project approved through the County Engineers Association of Ohio LBR program, which will cover 95% of eligible costs.

The Engineer’s Office also announced that they've received $500,000 through the Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission STBG program for Federal Aid Route Safety Improvements on Dixon Mill Road and other county routes. This project includes paving, guardrail upgrades, intersection safety improvements, new signage, pavement markings and drainage work aimed at reducing crash risk and improving driving conditions.

County officials have started the process of turning the intersection of Oberlin-Elyria Road and LaGrange Road in Carlisle Township into a roundabout this year.

The Lorain County commissioners on Tuesday authorized the county Engineer's Office to put the estimated $1.5 million project out to bid.

A roundabout would enhance both traffic flow and safety at the intersection, which is set up in a way that Assistant County Engineer Robert Klaiber told commissioners has bothered him for years.

Eighty percent of the cost of the new roundabout will be paid by the County Engineers Association of Ohio with federal safety grant funding, and the remaining 20 percent by the Ohio Public Works Commission. Federal funding was first approved in 2020.

MOUNT VERNON — Knox County’s 2026 road projects include one bridge replacement, six culvert projects, and Phase III of the Danville-Amity Road improvements.

The bridge replacement is on Howard-Danville Road (County Road 9). Its scope includes replacing the existing 70-foot single-span steel pony truss bridge over Little Jelloway Creek with a prestressed concrete box beam.

Local Bridge Replacement funds will cover 95% of the $1.147 million estimated cost. Local funds will cover the remaining 5 percent.

HAMILTON, Ohio (WXIX) - Road conditions are improving in Butler County as salt and plow crews took advantage of sunshine Tuesday to catch up on roads the county maintains.

Butler County Engineer Greg Wilkens said this snowstorm presented significant challenges for his crews.

“This is the biggest storm we’ve had in a number of years, as you well know. I think it’s probably the late 90’s we had any snow like this. So it was challenging,” Wilkens said.