Construction on Mt. Comfort Road began in July and was supposed to be finished in the fall. County officials now say the work should be complete in January.
Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
GREENFIELD — After several delays, the section of Mt. Comfort Road that has been under construction for months is expected to open just after the start of 2022.
The work on the section of the road between County Roads 300N and 400N started in July. The project includes the installation of an underground stormwater system as well as other road improvements.
Hancock County engineer Gary Pool said the project has experienced delays because of supply chain problems with the availability of materials, as well as the shortage of labor. The highway department has had trouble supplying steel for the project and finding concrete workers, a struggle it’s facing in much of its work right now.
Pool said the cost of the project has been driven up by those issues. It’s now expected to cost around $7 million, up from an initial estimate of about $6 million.
The timeline of the project has been extended several times, with it initially slated to be completed this fall. Although he hoped the project would be finished before Christmas, that doesn’t seem likely, Pool said.
“I’m really hoping to get it finished before any big snow event,” he said.
During the work, traffic on the heavily traveled road has been diverted to County Road 700W via 300N and 400N. Residents have complained about traffic backups along the detour route, including at recent meetings of the Hancock County Board of Commissioners.
Pool said he drives the detour route twice a day, and it adds three to six minutes to his commute. While the amount of time might seem small, he said, the county is aware that it adds up for people who must navigate the narrow roads each day. Workers are striving to complete the project as soon as possible, he said.
A small increase in the number of minor accidents has occurred in the area, Pool said, but the collisions so far have not resulted in any injuries.
Dave Sutherlin, the chief of Buck Creek Township Fire Department, which serves the area, said the department hasn’t had to respond to major accidents in the area since the construction began. The detour, however, has affected response times.
“It adds two or three minutes to each call that we take,” Sutherlin said. “…It’ll be great when it’s open.”