WAVERLY, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Transportation is seeking state authorization to conduct soil testing at a former landfill in Pike County as part of a project to realign a state route prone to flooding.
ODOT District 9 has submitted an application to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for permission to perform a geotechnical investigation at the Old Pike Sanitation Landfill near Waverly. The project is a preliminary step in a proposal to move a section of State Route 220 to prevent road closures caused by flooding from the nearby Scioto River.
"The flooding occurs when the Scioto River floods outside of its river banks and causes the road to be impassable, sometimes for several continuous days," the application states. "The proposed re-alignment of SR 220 would alleviate the closure of the highway allowing local and regional traffic to continue to utilize this important connection."
The investigation will involve drilling three soil borings to a depth of 50 feet on a two-acre section of the former landfill property. According to project manager Tom Barnitz, the proposed boring locations are intentionally outside the known area of waste placement. Historical records indicate this portion of the site once housed support buildings and equipment for the landfill.
The primary goal of the soil tests is to confirm that the ground beneath the proposed path for the new roadway is free of buried waste. "The goal of the limited geotechnical exploration is to confirm that waste would not be under the proposed location of the road," the application clarifies.
ODOT officials expressed confidence that the borings will not disturb the landfill's cap or any buried materials, citing existing OEPA records and original landfill plans. The closest boring is planned for approximately 80 feet from the edge of the known waste area.
If the project advances beyond the initial feasibility stage, ODOT anticipates that additional soil borings may be necessary to finalize the design for the new road and any associated structures.
The proposed work is scheduled to take place between September 1 and October 1, 2025. ODOT has certified that all activities will comply with state and federal regulations governing work at such sites, including protocols for handling any waste that might be inadvertently discovered.
