NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) - Tuscarawas County’s engineer is making sure drivers have a clear line of sight on portions county roads that allow passing. 

Joe Bachman says the commissioners have approved a contract allowing consultants to conduct road studies that will determine whether some areas should be marked as no-passing zones. Bachman says consultants will come out in the spring to drive around the county and see where changes need to be made.

“It’s essentially done with two vehicles. The vehicles have GPS capabilities so they can tell how far apart they are, and it’s a matter of making sure one vehicle can be seen by the other vehicle in terms of having an allowable passing zone,” he explains. 

Bachman says the work is expected to cost about $40,000 and is completely covered through federal grant dollars.

“This is a 100 percent federally-financed study, basically. It’s done with federal safety funds. You know, we try to be judicious as to when we do it, and it’s been 25 years ago and we’ve noticed several spots that seem to be needing an upgrade,” he says.

Bachman says he expects work will take a couple of weeks once it begins in the spring. He says things like roadside vegetation and development may have impacted visibility in some areas since last conducting similar studies.

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