LOVELAND, Ohio — Since January, residents along E. Loveland Avenue have had construction crews right near their doorstep.
Neighbors have become accustomed to the sound of drills and backhoes, as well as the dug up road just off their driveways.
The City of Loveland, Clermont County and the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) came together to fund and carry out the massive project, according to Loveland City Manager David Kennedy.
"The project included a bridge replacement, sidewalks, storm water, sanitary sewer main replacement and a repaving of the road,” Kennedy told WCPO 9.
The projects details are laid out on the City of Loveland's website, with a breakdown of which entity is funding each portion.
The project details report that Clermont County is funding $478,320 for the replacement of the bridge. The City of Loveland reported they received state grant funding of $722,400 to pay for the sidewalks, bridge wingwalls, storm sewer system improvements and to repave the road.
Finally, the project details reported that MSD funded approximately $686,200 for sanitary sewer work.
“It has been a big project but is has been a difficult project to say the least,” Kennedy said.
Neighbors across E. Loveland Avenue told WCPO said they've dealt with quite a bit of issues since construction began, including traffic, noise and dust caused by the project.
“I would say the biggest thing is traffic and consistency of access,” said Loveland resident Andrew Kessler, who moved to the neighborhood around the time construction just began.
Kessler, like many others, had to drive through a detour to access their street for months. The city reported that one lane of E. Loveland Ave was reopened on July 15, and a traffic light was placed at the bottom of the street to help manage drivers.
“For us it has just been dusty, it’s been noisy. But the crews have been working really hard,” said resident Rob Weisgerber.
Weisgerber is also a former mayor and Loveland City Council member. He told WCPO 9 that he currently sits on committees within the city, including planning and zoning, and the finance commission.
Weisgerber said that the bridge was in need of a replacement for years and explained why the project was able to come to life this past year.
“Because the county are the ones who manage bridges, even though it's in the City of Loveland, the county had had to get the funding and move it to the right project level. That has now happened and so this is a conjunction of county and city projects,” Weisgerber said.
Through all the concerns and complaints from residents, Kennedy said the city has done what it can to communicate with residents through fliers, social media and phone calls. Regardless, he said he's aware that it's been a heavy burden on the families in those homes.
"It's finally getting done. Making excuses is not what any of those residents want to hear," he said. “As the Reds used to say, rounding third and heading for home. We’re getting very, very close to getting this thing finished now."
Kennedy said that as the project approaches its final stages, the second half of the road is scheduled to be paved next week.
