Engineer

Lake County Engineer Department

Alan L. Exley, PE., PS., Lake County Engineer

Contact Us at:

LAKE COUNTY ENGINEER’S OFFICE
105 Main Street, Suite A205, Painesville, OH 44077
Phone: (440)350-2770     Fax: (440)352-8133

If you need to report a problem please contact Kirk Dimmick, PE., Chief Deputy Engineer at: [email protected] or call the main line at 440-350-2770.

Summer Hours:

Monday – Thursday 7:30 am. – 4:30 pm.

Friday 7:30 am.-01:00 pm.

Lake County Township Trustee Association Annual Meeting

LAKE COUNTY, OHIO – SNOW PLOW/SALT POLICY – 2022-2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Lake County Engineer’s Office re-evaluates the County snow policy and procedures every year in order to keep up with changing costs and road conditions.  The Lake County Engineer’s Office is responsible for over 304 lane miles of County Roads and 110 lane miles along SR 2 from the Cuyahoga County line to the bridge over the Grand River in Painesville City/Township.  We also assist local Townships/Villages and Cities, as needed.  During winter storm events, the priority remains SR 2, County Roads and then any Township/Village/City roads that we are assisting with. 

There are typically ten snowplow trucks on the County Road system and four snowplow trucks on SR 2.  However, we adjust the number of trucks in any given area based on the storm conditions and where the trucks are most needed.  Our crews use untreated salt to maintain the freeway and County highway system.

Our policy and procedures on SR 2 this year will be similar to last years. We will use salt as the primary tool in deicing the freeway.  During each winter storm, the priority will be the slower (right) lane and the ramps along SR 2.  The remaining mainline lanes will be plowed center lane to left as applicable until the storm eases or we have reasonably cleared the other areas of SR 2. 

The salting priority for the County Highway system will be hills, bends and intersections.  The straights will be spot treated in a manner to keep them passable.  As the storm subsides, we will put material down on the straights.  This will continue until the storm ends.  At that time, any hard pack that has formed will be treated and cleared

During the evening hours (8 PM – 4 AM), the County will put down minimal material to keep the highways passable.  This is a time when traffic volumes are low.  This nighttime salting policy applies only to the County Highway system, not SR 2.

Our salting policy will be consistent with that of recent years.   Supply and demand in tandem with economics and environmental impacts have forced us to enact these policies and procedures.  Our goal with this policy is to continue to provide the citizens of Lake County with a safe driving environment and allow us to stretch our reserves for the entire winter season.   It will require county drivers to cooperate during these events.  Please exercise caution and be free of distractions while driving on our roadways during snow and ice conditions.

*****Please use the REPORT A PROBLEM tab for: Pot holes, dead animals on the roadway, and other County road issues.*****

PUBLIC COMMENTS:

The Lake County Engineer’s Office is in the process of seeking funding for the replacement of the Madison Avenue Retaining Wall located in Painesville City and Painesville Township. We welcome any public comments concerning this project. Comments can be made to [email protected].              

The Significance and History of the Madison Avenue Retaining Wall is to protect Madison Avenue from erosion caused by the Grand River. The wall is located from approximately 230 feet west of the Painesville City line to 580 feet into Painesville Township in Lake County. The roadway is approximately 80 feet above the normal flow elevation of the Grand River and slope failure models extend to the Northern right-of-way line.

Madison Avenue is a significant East-West corridor in Lake County. The roadway is classified as a Major Collector with an ADT of 6371 per ODOT’s TIMS data. To the west, Madison Avenue becomes Main Street which crosses the Grand River into Painesville, the County Seat. To the east, Madison Avenue provides access to the Riverview Elementary School less than a half mile from the proposed project site, Painesville Township Fire Station No. 2 less than a mile and a half away and to the new $30 million Vrooman Road Bridge providing access to I-90.

Within the Madison Avenue Retaining Wall limits, across the street from the Grand River erosion, there are 12 homes including a Painesville Township century home, 3 intersections including one to a dead end street and the Painesville Evergreen Cemetery in the City of Painesville. Madison Avenue is has sidewalks, curbs and a storm drainage system. Various utilities are carried in the road right-of-way including water, gas and power poles including ancillary wire services.

Over time various measures have been performed to protect Madison Avenue from the Grand River erosion. Dating back to 1922, plans provided for a toe wall at the river’s edge and backfilling the slope. After that failed in 1959, an H-pile wall with timber lagging was installed. Remnants of that wall still exist. Remnants of another sheet pile wall also exist. Conditions were such that an ACOE Section 14 reconnaissance document report was completed in 1982. The current tie-back sheet pile wall was constructed in 1992. Its local failure just to the east of Woodworth Avenue in 2020 resulted in the repairs completed in 2021. 

Erosion, steel sheet pile section loss from corrosion and inadequate drainage behind the wall have all played a part in the failure. Lake County has hired Burgess & Niple, Inc. to perform an in depth inspection of the wall that is in process. It is our hope that working with the ACOE utilizing Section 14 of the Flood Control Act of 1946 will assist with planning and funding needed to implement long term solutions that will continue to protect Madison Avenue.

A huge shout out to droneohio.com for permitting the Lake County Engineer to use the amazing Vrooman Road pictures with our communities.  Your graciousness is appreciated!  

Dumping leaves and other yard waste in streams, creeks, ditches, and storm drains causes problems for you, your neighbors, and your local municipality.

Yard wastes also clog and block storm drains, streams, and ditches.  This increases flooding and stream bank and ditch erosion.  Fixing damage and removing these blockages comes at a cost to both homeowners and communities.