WARREN — The Trumbull County Commissioners on Wednesday approved providing up to $250,000 to the county’s Transportation Improvement District to be used as a local match that may be needed for the replacement of a bridge on Educational Highway in Champion that will lead to the new $30 million, 30,000-square-foot Mercy Health emergency department.

The cost estimate for the bridge replacement is $750,000.

Nicholas Coggins, chairman of Trumbull’s TID, during Tuesday’s commissioners workshop told commissioners the organization is applying for the Ohio Department of Transportation’s TID grant funds for this project. ODOT’s TID will provide a maximum of $500,000.

If the county is awarded the ODOT funds, it will have to obtain the remaining $250,000 to do the project.

“We’ve reached out to several businesses in the area, several foundations and JobsOhio,” Coggins said. “For some of the money, we’ve received some verbal commitments. I am working on getting some letters of commitment.”

Based on some verbal commitments and the one written commitment that has been received, Coggins estimates he is still $100,000 short of the $250,000 needed, assuming the county receives the $500,000 grant.

Gary Shaffer of the Trumbull County Engineer’s Office at the commissioners meeting on Wednesday said Mercy Health requested the bridge replacement project be completed before they open the new emergency room next year.

Regardless of what happens with the emergency room, Shaffer said the bridge will be in need of replacement within the next five years anyway.

Mercy Health has donated about $250,000 for the redesign of the bridge.

“They stipulated the bridge must be completed by Dec. 31,” he said. “We are hoping construction will begin this summer.”

Malloy noted the bridge on Educational Highway is being used by Kent State University at Trumbull students as well as faculty, staff and students attending the Trumbull Career & Technical Center.

In other business Wednesday, commissioners:

• Approved accepting the $1.75 million grant from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction for replacement of a roof on the county jail building. The county is seeking requests for qualifications to do architectural and engineering services for the project.

• Awarded a $357,600 contract to Daniel A. Terreri & Sons Inc. for the replacement of the Trumbull County Law Library steps. The project is being paid for using American Rescue Plan funds. Malloy said the county originally received estimates of more than $700,000 to replace the law library steps.

• Passed a resolution honoring longtime Trumbull County Planning Director Julie Green, who is being inducted today into the League of Women Voters of Greater Youngstown Women’s Hall of Fame.

• Approved the annual sick and vacation leave cash-in policies of county employees in its various unions and its nonunion employees. The policies allow employees to convert a set amount of sick and vacation hours into cash payments.The amount of vacation and sick hours available to be cashed in are determined by contract language in union contracts. Non-union county employees also are provided the ability to convert a set number of their vacation and sick days into cash.

• Approved a resolution to proceed with the Blueprint Phase 2 Water Regionalization Project in Southington and Braceville townships. It has an estimated project cost of $9,083,635.