Street work in Sylvania slated to start in 1, 2 weeks

6/2/2009

Five Sylvania streets will be rebuilt this summer, while others will be resurfaced during a construction campaign that will get under way during the next week or two, city officials said.

City council awarded contracts for three of the reconstruction projects early last month, and two more are now out for bid. A contract for grinding existing pavement off the streets to be resurfaced also has been awarded, after which city crews will repave them using city equipment, Mayor Craig Stough said.

Public Service Director Jeff Ballmer said the first three reconstruction projects, affecting Elliott Drive, Roan Road, and part of Acres Road, all should start by mid-month and be completed by early autumn.

"We like to get these things so they can start right after school ends, and be substantially done before reopening," Mr. Ballmer said.

The largest contract awarded so far is for rebuilding Acres between Marshall Road and the Michigan border, a $736,801.78 job awarded May 18 to Bowers Asphalt & Paving, Inc., of Walbridge. It's a continuation of work done on Acres south of Marshall last year, and will include replacing the street's drains, curbs, and water main.

On Elliott, Taylor Excavating, of Delta, Ohio, has been hired for $619,642.61 to rebuild the now-uncurbed road at a slightly lower grade with curbs and drains and replace a four-inch water main with a 12-inch main. The drainage work will correct the current situation, in which drainage swales along the street are prone to being filled in by landowners and runoff flows across the pavement during storms, Mr. Ballmer said.

The Roan project, similar to what will be done on Elliott, was awarded May 4 to Diversified Road & Pipe, Inc., of Whitehouse, but will be on the same schedule as the others to minimize conflict with school traffic.

Replacement of the water mains will require service disruptions of about 20 minutes to residences while their individual lines are connected to the new mains, Mr. Ballmer said. Notice will be given before that work is done, he said.

Still to be awarded are contracts for Arrowhead Drive, a 900-foot dead-end street near Flower Hospital, and combined 1,350-foot sections of Indian Trail and Fairway Lane whose decaying concrete-slab pavement is to be replaced with macadam.

Reconstruction of all five streets is expected to cost Sylvania $3.15 million, which will be financed with notes and municipal bonds.

Most prominent among the streets to be repaved are Monroe Street between the Norfolk Southern Railway and Silica Drive and South Main Street between Brint Road and Ravine Drive.

City officials initially planned to repave Monroe all the way to Erie Street this year, but postponed the rest until after the new Maplewood School is built so that construction equipment wouldn't damage the new pavement.

The milling and paving campaign will involve all or parts of the following residential streets: Eagle Trace Drive, Ivywood Lane, Fox Hollow Court, Indian Creek Lane, Summer Place Drive, Heidaway Lane, Meghan Drive, Country Commons Lane, Caracole Court, Dressage Lane, and Allen Road.

Ten Mile Creek Excavating is to be paid $23,787.75 for the pavement-milling portion of the work. Mayor Stough estimated the resurfacing program's total cost at $240,000.