County Engineer Paul Huelskamp said the switch to a continuous levy has advantages such as saving the expense to his office whenever a tax request is on the ballot (the cost in 2021 was $16,000).
In addition, he said, “The average lifespan of a bridge is 75 to 100 years. As such, our plan for replacing bridges extends beyond a five-year time. By making the levy continuous, the public can be assured that bridge construction and maintenance will continue uninterrupted into the future.”
The bridge levy is used to pay for many projects directly.
“Its greatest advantage, however, is our ability to leverage bridge levy money to bring federal funds to the county,” Huelskamp said. “Most of the time this occurs on an 80/20 basis, so for a $1 million bridge, Miami County need only provide $200,000, and the Federal Highway Administration will supply the other $800,000.”
Among recent projects benefitting from the levy was the Peterson Road Bridge replacement over the Great Miami River north of Troy. Another project bridge levy funds would benefit is the Garnsey Road Bridge deck replacement in Piqua. That bridge also spans the Miami River. The county also is home to the Stillwater River.
No wages are paid from the bridge levy, so every dollar goes toward projects, Huelskamp said.
About the Author