Licking County residents ‘trapped’ after flooded causes bridge collapse
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Residents along Wolford Road in Licking County’s Hanover Township are “trapped” after a temporary access bridge collapsed Tuesday. Licking County En… Residents along Wolford Road in Licking County, Ohio, are left "trapped" after a temporary access bridge collapsed due to heavy rain. The bridge was put in place while the county replaced the previous truss bridge, which had a five-ton weight limit and was decades old. The water level on Rocky Fork Creek rose above the bridge's level, causing it to be hit with debris carried from upstream. About 10 to 15 homes do not have road access. Hanover Township Volunteer Fire Department and EMS created a temporary path through private property to allow emergency services to access Wolford road. Licking county is asking for the vehicles parked on the other side of the bridge to be moved so contractors can access the bridge for repairs.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Residents along Wolford Road in Licking County’s Hanover Township are “trapped” after a temporary access bridge collapsed Tuesday.
Licking County Engineer Jared Knerr told NBC4 there are about 10 to 15 homes that do not have road access right now.
The temporary bridge was put in place while the county replaced the previous truss bridge that spanned Rocky Fork Creek on Wolford Road. The previous bridge had a five-ton weight limit and was decades old.
The temporary bridge collapsed after heavy rain caused the water level on Rocky Fork Creek to rise above the level of the bridge, slamming it with debris carried from upstream. The ground around the temporary bridge as well as underneath the asphalt on the temporary road gave way as water flooded the area.
“We had about six or eight inches of water flowing over it. And I came back down and checked on it again. And then we had, you know, trees up against it. And I knew we were done for. We’ve been stuck here since Monday, finally got out today to get some groceries, you know,” said Wolford Road resident Vito Rosato. “We’ve been stuck here, ran out of supplies, everything. I mean, what do you do? We’re on a dead-end road.”
Hanover Township Volunteer Fire Department and EMS along with township Commissioners created a temporary path through private property so that Emergency services would have a way to gain access to Wolford Road while the bridge is out.
“This isn’t our first rodeo and having to figure out ways to get around and get through places and even staff different stations,” said Steven Gregory the Fire Captain and EMS Coordinator for Hanover Township. “We worked with the county commissioners, and they dropped a lot of stone back air for us to be able to get our apparatus back in through there. So there’s a separate path.”
Gregory estimates the Hanover Volunteer Fire and EMS respond to around 20 calls per year to Wolford Road. Gregory hopes the bridge will be back up soon.
“Hopefully not too awfully long. I project, maybe at least a week? Depends on how long the rain keeps up. So, if it stops, then Lord willing it shouldn’t be too, too much more than maybe a few days,” he said.
Rosato lives with his mother who has health issues. He’s pleased the EMS have a way to access their road, if necessary, but he’d like the people who live there to have access to the service road too.
“They got a little service road there that the fire department set up, so they could at least come in and out. They won’t let us use it to get in and out,” he said.
Many residents who have vehicles on the other side of the bridge are parking along Wolford Road and walking across the collapsed bridge. Starting Friday morning, Licking County is asking for those vehicles to be moved so contractors can have access to the bridge for repairs.
More than a dozen residents spoke with NBC4 Thursday afternoon and evening. Many, like Rosato, expressed their frustration with the situation, wanting more swift action to repair the bridge.
“It’s easy to forget about us back here because we’re on a dead end road. Honestly, you know, who can we contact? Who can we get a hold of?” he said.
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