By MARK TODD - Staff Writer - mtodd@starbeacon.com
CONNEAUT — Truck weigh scales silent for nearly two years will come back to life within the next few months, an Ohio State Highway Patrol spokeswoman said.
The good news came soon after city officials bemoaned the scales’ lengthy shutdown and the loss of municipal revenue it created. The scales closed in 2007 when faulty concrete was discovered, creating a safety concern that forced OHP to shut down the operation.
Work on the scales has entered the design phase, and bids will be accepted within the next 35 to 45 days, said Sgt. Karla Taulbee, OHP spokeswoman in Columbus. One of the scales will be replaced completely, in addition to concrete upgrades on the ramps, she said.
The work will take a few weeks to complete once it begins, Taulbee said. Even so, the scales should reopen before the end of the year.
“We look for it,” she said.
Not as much as the city, which sorely misses its share of revenue netted from violations troopers and police discover at the scales. Last year, Finance Director John Williams estimated the city collects $30,000 from the scales.
Lt. Mike Harmon of Ashtabula County’s OHP post in Saybrook Township, also will be glad when the scales reopen.
“We’re ready,” he said. “We need to open it. We hope they expedite the work.”
The operation, which opened in 1990, intercepts westbound truck traffic as it enters Ohio from Pennsylvania. A state tourist information center shares the site.
Not everyone misses the scales. Residents along a stretch of East Main Road (Route 20), who used to complaint about heavy trucks rumbling past their homes, have said traffic on their road has dropped dramatically since the scales have closed. They claim overweight trucks avoided the scales by sneaking through the city.
