Ohio city gets $500,000 grant to repair roadways that have been impacted by the oil and gas industry

An Ohio city was awarded a $500,000 grant to repair roadways that have been impacted by the oil and gas industry.

The City of St. Clairsville said they received a grant of $500,000 from the Ohio Department of Transportation through its 2024 Local Roads Oil and Shale Program with the intention to provide the municipality with the necessary funds to undertake repairs of roadways that have been impacted by the oil and gas industry The funds awarded can be used to make road repairs to Thompson Drive in St. Clairsville. The city also received $500,000 from the same ODOT program in 2023 that can be used toward roadway repairs to North Sugar Street.

The repair and maintenance of roadways is imperative as there has been extensive damage due to heavy trucks related to the oil and gas industry, the City said. St. Clairsville said Thompson Drive, a major conduit for all types of vehicles, is one road that has been heavily damaged. The road’s location along Interstate 70 and its easy access to many of the oil and gas well pads located south of St. Clairsville have led to the deterioration of the road’s condition. It is, therefore, crucial to address the matter by allocating the grant funds to repair Thompson Drive, which serves a critical role in the community’s transportation network.

The ideal goals for the improvement of Thompson Drive are full-depth repairs, curbs, catch basins, and culverts. The implementation of full-depth repairs and the proposed work will enhance the long-term durability of the infrastructure. If budget allows, the city intends to replace the existing municipal utilities, including a new gravity sewer line, force main sewer line, water line, and a rebuild of the electric system. This will mitigate the necessity to excavate the new road for replacements. The project should be initiated in 2027.

Tom Murphy, Planning and Zoning Administrator, thanked all those for their remarkable effort and dedication in making sure that the grant application was a success for not only 2024 but also 2023. This is a total of $1,000,000 that the city did not have available prior.

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