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Akron transportation study indicates $3.78 billion to $5 billion needed to maintain roads, bridges | Dump Truck Company

Ravenna Road bridge over Norfolk & Southern railroad tracks in Franklin Township.

A new study released by the Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (AMATS) indicates it will cost between $3.78 billion and $5 billion to resurface and replace more than 3,422 miles of roads and 947 bridges in the Greater Akron area during the next 25 years, the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Total resurfacing needs were estimated at $1.25 billion and replacements at $160 million, while bridge repairs were estimated at $2.37 billion.

Although specific road projects are not identified in the report, it does list 41 bridges with a “poor” rating, but AMATS Director Curtis Baker explains that a poor rating doesn’t mean that the bridge is unsafe to drive on.

Baker notes that the $3.78 billion estimate is 17 percent higher than the $3.3 billion estimated in the previous 2016 report, which is attributed to increasing construction costs.

The full report is available here.