$9.5M Wally Road bridge project is Holmes County’s biggest infrastructure job

The $9.5 million Wally Road bridge replacement project is the biggest infrastructure project in Holmes County history, according Holmes County Engineer Chris Young.

The project, to replace a 1993 bridge that has deteriorated prematurely due to faulty construction materials, is to begin Monday, Young said.

Young, Holmes County Commissioner Dave Hall, and representatives for the contractor for the project, Kokosing Construction of Fredericktown, spoke to a gathering of those who will be affected by the work, including campground and canoe livery owners, officials from area townships and the village of Loudonville, and property owners near Lost Horizons (formerly Pleasant Valley) Campground, which is just south of the bridge.

More: Wally Road workRoad repaving

More: Wally Road coveragePlans for a covered bridge

What happened to the old Wally Road bridge?

Hall, who has been involved with this project as a commissioner and while he served as a state representative, said he first learned of difficulties with the bridge while meeting with a former Holmes County engineer in May 2000.

“He showed me early flaws on the bridge and estimated that it would probably only last until 2010,” Hall said. “In 2007, we started to move at a faster pace to get the project going, but then came the recession, and funds were not available to build.”

“We made repairs to bide time, but we knew the bridge’s days were numbered,” Hall said. “When our current engineer Chris Young came on the scene, he did an amazing job of lining up funds so we could finally get the project started.”

The bridge crosses the Mohican River between the Arrow Point (to the north and upstream) and Lost Horizon Campgrounds, about six miles south of Loudonville. It carries traffic for a state designated scenic byway, and is in the middle of the Wally Road recreation area, which includes several of the larger campgrounds in the tourism-dominated Mohican area. The Mohican River, which parallels the Wally Road from Loudonville south to Greer in northeast Knox County, is a designated state scenic river and the most popular canoeing river in the state.

Hall said bids on the project came in significantly higher than estimates, but was rebid, with Kokosing submitting an acceptable bid.

“We were fortunately able to rebid,” Hall said. “Other bridge projects, notably a bridge connecting Cincinnati and Covington, Kentucky, over the Ohio River, are still at a standstill.”

In part to have it fit in with the tourism nature of the local economy, and in part out of necessity, the new bridge will be made out of wood, and will be a covered bridge, Hall said.

“Supply chain issues, which are haunting construction projects across the country, gave us the impetus to build the bridge out of wood,” Young said. “Steel is an iffy supply item, as is concrete in the volume needed, but wood is available.”

“Wood used will be treated and, in many instances, pre-drilled offsite, but the actual assembly will be done on site,” Chris Schripsema, of the Columbus-based engineering firm OHM Advisors. “And treated lumber is surprisingly durable, with a 100-year life expectancy, compared to 50 years for concrete.”

Responding to a question from one of the canoe livery owners, Rick Cope of Kokosing said canoe traffic can continue on the Mohican River during construction.

“I see no reason why the river should be closed,” Cope said. “There will always be an open area where canoes can pass. We may place a person down on the river to direct canoe traffic, and we will post signs upstream from the bridge warning of construction ahead.”

Wally Road bridge timeline

Cope said the goal is to complete the effort “by this time next year,” mid-September 2023.

Matt Luyster, also of Kokosing, said the firm “will begin bridge demolition as soon as the road is closed Monday and vegetation on the banks around it mowed down. We should have the old bridge out in about two weeks.”

A major factor in the construction process will be the weather.

“It could get a little chilly as we move forward,” Cope said.

Young said as the construction process continues, work may also be started on a proposed bike path along the Wally Road. It's a project that someday, Hall said, will link Mohican State Park and Loudonville down Wally Road to Knox County.

When asked if large trucks, and campers, will be able to pass under the new covered bridge, Young answered “it will be like driving under a freeway overpass, the opening meeting specifications for major highways.”

There will be posted detours to get motorists around the closed bridge, but Young said drivers will get creative as they drive the area. “We will make arrangements to reimburse townships and counties for damages to roadways caused by new traffic created because of the closed bridge.”

Young said $7 million of the bridge project will be funded through grants and the remaining $2.5 million by loans. “That total amount is double what the project was estimated at a few years ago,” he said.

He said another public meeting will be held in early spring to update residents and stakeholders on progress. The meeting will be publicized through the Mohican Area Visitors Bureau. An earlier meeting on the project was held last April.

He also said the nature of the project, with wood construction and of a covered bridge, will draw interest from engineers across the country.

“You’re gonna have a lot of engineers in your campgrounds next summer,” he said with a smile.