Final paving on McCord Road slated

10/1/2010

After a false start early last month, a Lucas County subcontractor plans to resume work on a McCord Road paving project Saturday by grinding off blacktop that was unexpectedly bumpy, Lucas County Engineer Keith Earley said Thursday.

Final paving on McCord after a widening project between Central and Sylvania avenues in Sylvania Township has been on hold for more than a month while officials sorted out why the northbound lane turned out bumpy.

They have concluded that unexpected soil conditions beneath the roadway, combined with the use of a vibrating roller to compact the pavement, caused the bumps, Mr. Earley said Thursday.

Ebony Construction, a paving subcontractor to Ropper Construction Inc., plans to grind off the top pavement on the northbound side Saturday and then apply new pavement on Tuesday and Wednesday, Mr. Early said. The schedule has been chosen based on weather forecasts for suitable temperatures, the county engineer said.

Ebony had been scheduled to start the work three weeks ago, but it was postponed after the paving firm asked for new soil testing in the affected area.

Paving of the southbound lane in the same zone did not yield the same result, apparently because a vibrating roller was not used, Mr. Earley said. The center left-turn lane, created by the construction, has remained unfinished since work halted.

Removing and replacing the surface pavement on the northbound side will add about $90,000 to the project's cost, increasing its original $2.19 million pricetag by about 4 percent, Mr. Earley said. County officials hope to be able to add that cost to the federal funding for the construction, he said.