Culverts on order for Kungle chasm, with fix for Norton road expected by fall
It's been nearly four years since Norton closed the Kungle Road bridge, severing the connection between Eastern and Vanderhoof roads on May 7, 2019.
Five weeks later, the closed bridge collapsed and has been collapsing more and more ever since.
Scrappy weeds even broke through the asphalt at the edge of the chasm last summer a few yards from concrete barriers and a sign proclaiming, "Welcome to Norton."
More: As third anniversary of Kungle Road collapse nears, fix for Norton span now in sight
More: The great divide: Giant hole in Norton road frustrates residents
What began as a dramatic stack of cracked asphalt-and-concrete slabs has evolved in 48 months into a Kungle Canyon ecosystem, with vegetation gradually climbing toward the road from the stream below.
So, yeah, it's taken a long time to repair.
Why has it taken so long to get going?
A project to fix the collapsed road seemed cursed from the start. A dispute over who was responsible for the repairs began early in the process.
Kungle Road runs through Norton and New Franklin, with Summit County thrown in because the county engineer's office handles bridges.
The collapsed area is located close to the border between the two cities. It's inside Norton, but just barely, and the city's administrator at the time wasn't sure.
And, then, there was a question of whether the "bridge" was really a bridge.
Is Kungle Road ever going to be fixed?
Yes. And it's looking like it will be this year.
For real.
Norton City Council last month approved funds to hire engineering firm GPD Group for the Eastern Road/Kungle Road project, with GPD ready to start as soon as the project is awarded to a contractor.
Norton Administrator Philip Turske expects the project to be ready to bid at the beginning of May.
How long will it take?
In a recent letter to Turske, GDP estimated the project will take about 22 weeks.
On Tuesday, Turske indicated in an email that the culvert repairs will be done and the road open in the fall.
Why not start now?
For one, the materials needed to make the repairs aren't available, with culverts at the top of the list. They've been ordered, but the city is waiting on delivery.
Council OK'd money for the culverts on April 3, deciding on larger units needed for the growing gap.
"We went 2 foot wider than everyone was (originally) recommending," said Councilman Doug DeHarpart.
Support local journalism: 6 reasons why you should subscribe to the Akron Beacon Journal
Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: After 4 years, Kungle Road in Norton slated for fix by fall, city says
