New bridge planned in Middle Point

VW independent staff/submitted information

The Van Wert County Engineer’s Office, in partnership with the Ohio Department of Transportation, are planning for a complete bridge replacement on E. Bellis Rd. crossing the Little Auglaize River on the southeast side of Middle Point. However, it won’t begin for nearly two years.

This project will be a complete demolition and replacement of the current bridge and is tentatively planned to begin in the summer of 2027. The construction is planned to last no longer than three to five months and will ideally be completed by the end of that summer.

Construction will result in a temporary roadway closure. Through-traffic will be strictly prohibited and detoured temporarily until the project is 100 percent complete. The expected detour is tentatively planned to run south on Dog Creek Rd. to Ohio 697 east to Middle Point Wetzel Rd. and then north. Access for local traffic to all properties will be maintained throughout the construction process.

The proposed project will be taking place in a regulated floodplain on the Little Auglaize River. Impacts to this floodplain are anticipated to be minor and result in no rise in localized flood levels.