CADIZ — Motorists may have noticed a recent change in the speed limit on Industrial Park Road in Cadiz — it has been reduced from 55 mph to 35 mph in order to comply with Ohio Revised Code.

The speed limit on the roadway was changed early last week. Harrison County Engineer Doug Bachman explained to Harrison County Commissioners Paul Coffland and Don Bethel the reasoning for the change during Wednesday’s meeting. Commissioner Dale Norris was absent from the meeting.

“You may have gotten calls questioning the Industrial Park Road’s speed limit. … Because that road is within the corporation limits, the legal speed limit is 35 mph. I guess there have been some accidents at the intersection of (Ohio) Route 9 with trucks going through the stop sign, so we had discussions with ODOT on how to improve the safety there. It came to light that the legal speed limit there is actually 35 mph on that road by the Ohio Revised Code, so that’s why that speed limit changed,” he said

Per the Ohio Revised Code, a through-highway speed limit is 35 mph within corporation limits, Bachman said. He noted that the road is 2 miles long and said the decrease in speed will only add around a minute to motorists’ travel time, he said.

If the road remained posted at 55 mph and an accident occurred on the roadway, the county could be liable if it was not corrected, Bachman said.

“In the next few years, hopefully, there will be more businesses out there, so a lower speed limit will certainly be warranted,” he added.

Bachman also announced that Harrison County 15, Fox Bottom Road, will be reduced to one lane over the next few months while a temporary bridge is installed. He said this is being done until a long-term repair can be made to the bridge in the spring.

In other matters, Ryan Schuster, project manager for The Thrasher Group, an engineering company hired by the county, opened bids for the village of Scio’s wastewater facility improvement project. The work, which includes the installation of a new clarifier and two new generators, is funded through a $489,100 Community Development Block Grant and village match of $54,430.

Schuster opened four bids received for the project — Border Patrol Construction of Hopedale for $556,291; Workman Industrial of Kent, Ohio for $573,492; S.E.T. of Lowellville, Ohio, for $673,000; and Ohio-West Virginia Excavating of Powhatan Point for $696,345.

Schuster said the apparent low bid is from Border Patrol for $556,291; however, he needs time to review all bids prior to making a decision. The bids were tabled.