Ohio EPA to hold public hearing Thursday on proposed bridge replacement for Big Darby Creek

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) has scheduled a public hearing Thursday, April 7 on the water quality certification for a proposed bridge replacement over Big Darby Creek on County Road 22, near Orient.

The public meeting will take place in Grove City at Pleasant View Middle School and is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. The Ohio EPA is also accepting public comments on the certification, which can be submitted via mail or email through April 14.

The proposed project would see the current County Road 22 bridge demolished and a new bridge constructed further east on a new alignment. The project will include removing the piers currently within Big Darby Creek, an operation that will require a temporary work pad in the stream, and the new bridge’s piers will not be located within the creek.

The Ohio EPA is considering the potential technical, economic social and environmental aspects of the bridge replacement as it determines whether or not to issue a permit. While the project can change the creek’s current water quality conditions, it cannot violate the state’s water quality standards.