Beaver Excavating Co., Canton, is the apparent low bidder for a project, which will reconstruct and widen Interstate 75 through Findlay and Hancock County beginning this spring.

The apparent successful bid was $113.2 million. The contract will be officially awarded in approximately two weeks once a review of all bidding documents is complete.

The project will take place from just south of Harrison Street/County Road 144, which is just south of the Ohio 15/U.S. Route 68 interchange, to the County Road 99 interchange in Findlay.

The project will reconstruct the existing pavement on Interstate 75, add a third travel lane in both the northbound and southbound direction, reconstruct the interchange between U.S. 68/state Route 15 and Interstate 75, and upgrade the roadway to modern highway standards.

“A modern, expanded and greatly-improved interstate is on the other side of what will be an estimated three seasons of construction,” said Kirk Slusher, Ohio Department of Transportation District 1 deputy director. “We look forward to beginning this phase of improvement to the Interstate 75 corridor which is one of the most important in the region and the state,” he said.

The project also includes:
• Replacement of the Harrison Street overpass
• Redesign and reconstruction of the interchange with U.S. 68/state Route 15 at Lima Avenue
• Construction of noise walls along the interstate at the following locations:
• Adjacent to Carlin Road north of County Road 313 and south of Harrison Street/County Road 144 on the east side of the interstate
• Adjacent to Broad Avenue between U.S. 224/Trenton Avenue and Bigelow Avenue/County Road 96 on the east and west side of the interstate
• Adjacent to Crosshill Drive from north of Bigelow Avenue/County Road 96 to just north of Hillshafer Drive on the east side of the interstate

Construction on the project is expected to begin early this spring once the contract is officially awarded.

This section of Interstate 75, which was originally constructed in the 1950s, last saw major work in 1989.

Work currently under way on Interstate 75 north of Findlay will continue through fall of this year. A $135.7 million project on Interstate 75 through Lima and Allen County from the Auglaize County line to just north of state Route 81 was completed last fall.