Mercer County has an infrastructure investment in county
owned bridges and dams of over 100 million dollars. There
are 247 bridges located throughout the county. Of the 247
bridges, three are owned jointly with Crawford County, two
are owned jointly with Trumbull County, and one is owned
jointly with Coolspring township. A number of municipalities
also have maintenance responsibilities for certain bridge
features such as sidewalks and lighting.
The Engineer's office is responsible for the inspection,
maintenance and operation of these facilities, as well as
the design and construction management of improvement
projects.
BRIDGES
The County complies with the National Bridge
Inspection Standards as detailed in the Code of Federal
Regulations 23 Highways Part 650, Subpart C.
Each bridge is inspected at a frequency of not less
than 2 years by inspectors meeting the qualifications
stated in 650.307. Annual inspections are required to
ensure the continued safe operation, maintenance and
stability of the structure thus protecting life and
property.
The inspection consists of a comprehensive visual or
hands on inspection, accompanied by photographs, which
indicates the conditions prevailing at each bridge.
Measurements are routinely made to assess integrity of
the structure.
All phases of design for new structures and
rehabilitated structures are completed by staff
professionals. In-house staff also performs construction
inspection quality assurance and quantity
documentation.
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