Guernsey County Highway Department
Mission Statement
The goal of the Guernsey County Highway Department is to provide our travelers with the safest and most reliable roads and bridges possible. This must be done with a cycle of continuous improvement and in a sustainable manner for the good of our community.
County Engineer
Paul Sherry P.E., P.S.
62782 Bennett Ave. Cambridge, OH 43725
Monday – Friday
7:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.
740-432-2234 Voice
Guernsey County Engineer’s Office
2024 Bridge Update
September 24,2024
Guernsey County Engineer Paul Sherry is pleased to announce the 2024 annual bridge inspection is complete. Each year all 315 of our bridges are inspected by a third-party independent contractor and scored based on a statewide matrix. All these scores are reported and logged in the Nation Bridge Inventory System. These inspections are cataloged and available for review at the Engineer’s Office.
The table below lists the rating and corresponding quantity of bridges. Some simple math will yield the following statistics: 281 (89%) of our 315 bridges are in fair or better condition, 24 (8%) are in poor condition, 3 (1%) are critical, and 7 (2%) are closed. Of the 309 bridges in service, we have an average score of 5.9 which is satisfactory condition. The storms and flooding of April 2024 had a negative impact on several structures, repairs of these are underway and should improve our score.
New-9 | Very Good-8 | Good-7 | Satisfactory-6 | Fair-5 | Poor-4 | Critical-3 | Closed | Total |
1 | 14 | 73 | 129 | 64 | 24 | 3 | 7 | 315 |
Over the last 2 years, there has been several unique funding opportunities due to the American Rescue Plan Act or commonly called ARPA. One of the typical requirements to qualify to apply for funding was that they needed to be rated in poor condition. Compared to other counties we have relatively few bridges rated as poor, which makes receiving funding very competitive. Keeping the closed bridges on the books does help our scoring as we compete for funds. Another factor that holds us back is that we have very low traffic volumes. Despite these challenges, we were successful in securing funding for the replacement of two bridges. The most notable of these is the vocational road bridge near the Crossroads Branch Library, at a cost of $2,700,000.
Earlier this year, we opened a new bridge on North Eighth Street Road near Sarchet Run Road. The concrete arch structure was used to manage the challenging alignment created by the intersecting road and creek. The total project was bid then awarded to J & J construction at a cost of $811,000. The construction is fully funded by the Ohio Department of Transportation using Federal LPA funds and Toll Revenue Credit through Local Bridge Partnership program. The grant allows for 100% of construction costs and third-party construction oversight and inspection.
Currently, our office is receiving bids for the rehabilitation of the truss bridge that crosses Will Creek near Cambridge City Schools campus. The bridge is expected to cost at least $736,000 and is funded by FHWA administered by ODOT and our local share reduced using Ohio Public Works grant dollars to reduce the County’s out of pocket expense.
The rehabilitation will include removal of the existing truss for repairs, cleaning, and re-galvanization. While that is being done off-site, the deck and stringers will be replaced, and the abutments widened to allow for an improved experience for drivers. We are scheduling this work for the summer of 2025, to have the smallest impact on school traffic.
We appreciate your patience during this construction, it is inconvenient at times, but it will allow for a renewed service life and safe crossings. Thank you.