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Gravel, potholes help make for bumpy ride on Ohio 60

Photo by Erin O’Neill Drivers try to navigate potholes and loose gravel on Ohio 60. Several complaints have been made to ODOT regarding damage done to people’s vehicles when driving through the state’s microsurfacing project that stretches from Devola to the Morgan County line.

MARIETTA — Dozens of drivers who have to travel Ohio 60 between Devola and Beverly have noticed damage to their vehicles they say is due to an ongoing construction project.

“It just feels like you’re driving on a gravel road, the whole way from the bottom of Marsh Run Hill to Lowell,” said Dawn Spurr, of Marietta, who works at Fort Frye High School. “The potholes are the worst.”

The stretch of road in question is part of an Ohio Department of Transportation project that runs from the edge of Devola to the Morgan County line, with the exception of the Village of Beverly. Reports of loose gravel bouncing up, hitting and cracking windshields, and alignment issues due to potholes dotting the route, have been widespread and many feel that the state agency owes drivers an explanation, if not an outright reimbursement for damages.

“I know at least three dozen people who have had this happen to them,” Spurr said. “I went to Murray Glass to get an estimate and they said they have seen an increase in people coming in from this. It’s under $500 so our insurance deductible will cover it … so it’s mostly an inconvenience for us, but for a lot of people, this is their food money.”

According to ODOT, in the summer of 2016, contractor Ny-Mac Enterprises Inc. out of Michigan, was hired through the competitive bidding process to complete a microresurfacing project on the state route. What drivers are experiencing now is an unexpected result of trying to repair that initial job, which ODOT says was poorly done by Ny-Mac and led to more problems which a second contractor has been trying to clean up.

Photo by Erin O’Neill Drivers try to navigate potholes and loose gravel on Ohio 60. Several complaints have been made to ODOT regarding damage done to people’s vehicles when driving through the state’s microsurfacing project that stretches from Devola to the Morgan County line.

“Microsurfacing is a preventive maintenance process in which a thin layer of aggregate and asphalt is placed to preserve the existing pavement structure. Part of the requirement of the job was to remove existing ponding issues,” said Ashley Rittenhouse, public information officer for ODOT District 10. “The job (of the original contractor) unfortunately did not meet ODOT specifications.”

Rittenhouse said there were repeated unsuccessful attempts to get Ny-Mac to repair the deficiencies and ultimately a different contractor — Shelly and Sands — was hired to temporarily correct district concerns over ponding water.

“(Those concerns have been) validated by numerous motorists through phone calls and emails (and were) created by those deficiencies,” she said. “The contractor performed a process called micro-milling to correct the water ponding problem by removing the smallest amount of material necessary. In most areas, this was no more than half an inch.”

Rittenhouse confirmed that ODOT has received a dozen complaints about damage to vehicles. One of those drivers, Jamie Metcalf of Devola, travels the road three days a week to go to her job in Malta.

“My husband and I have both had damage to our vehicles. My car now has five chips but for us to replace both windshields is going to cost quite a lot,” she said.

Photo submitted by Jamie Metcalf This photo provided by Devola resident Jamie Metcalf shows a giant crack in the windshield of her Toyota 4-Runner.

Dustin Becker, an agent with Dietz Futrell & Walters Insurance in Beverly, said he’s personally driven the roads and hasn’t personally incurred any damage but acknowledges it’s a rough ride.

“I would advise people to talk to their insurance company,” he said. “Most insurance will pay for a ding that can be repaired before you get into your deductible.”

Other drivers are opting not to get the repairs right away because they feel it would just be money out the window.

“I’m not going to pay to have it fixed until the road is fixed because I don’t want it happening again,” said Barb Everson, who lives in Beverly and works at Heartland in Devola.

However, any crack that obstructs a driver’s view can result in a ticket, according to Ohio law.

“It could be a ticketable offense if you’re pulled over for something else,” said Sgt. Scott Buxton with the Ohio State Highway Patrol. “I am familiar with the work that’s going on out there on Route 60 but not familiar with any problems, like broken windshields. It is that time of year, though, with salt and gravel on the roads. My advice would be to watch your following distance and speed in any construction area.”

ODOT agrees that although most of the areas that were milled remain in good condition, there are a few areas that have unexpectedly deteriorated at a rapid rate.

“The reason for this is not completely known, but could be an unexpected result of the micro-milling we did to correct the ponding. Shelly and Sands was not negligent and therefore should not be contacted (regarding the damage),” Rittenhouse said. “In the spring, once the weather improves and the asphalt plants re-open, we will determine whether to re-microsurface or repave the road. In the meantime, we are patching potholes along the road.”

ODOT intends to pass all costs associated with the micro-milling contract on to Ny-Mac’s Surety, the responsible legal and financial party. Anyone whose vehicle has been damaged as a result of these issues can fill out a form for possible reimbursement. Visit this ODOT website to file a damage report, http://www.dot.state.oh.us/damagereport/Pages/default.aspx

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File a Report

* Visit this ODOT website to file a damage report, http://bit.ly/1lAYRcS

* Indicate the route number, county, mile marker or nearest intersection, direction of travel and time and day the incident occurred.

* Property damage claims can also be filed with the Ohio Court of Claims, ohiocourtofclaims.gov

* Contact your car insurance company to see if damage is covered under your plan.

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