Oregon set to OK $2.7M to fix roads

Biggest project costs $868,952 to repave Isaac Streets Dr.

The pitted and patched 6 inches of concrete on Isaac Streets Drive in Oregon will be replaced with a fresh 8 inches of paving. The project will cost $868,952, the city’s biggest single-road contract this year.

Oregon is moving ahead with street improvements planned for this year. City council is to approve about $2.7 million worth of contracts for street upgrades at its 8 p.m. regular meeting today.

The biggest contract, at $868,952.15, is for repaving Isaac Streets Drive. The existing six inches of concrete, which is pitted and patched, will be replaced with eight inches of new paving for a more durable roadway.

This project also includes repaving about 300 feet of Dustin Road at its intersection with Issac Streets. The winning bidder was Smith Paving and Excavating Inc. of Norwalk, whose cost came in well under the $940,000 engineering estimate.

The city’s 2014 budget includes a $1 million transfer from the general fund for increased spending on streets. Last year, Oregon spent about $1.5 million on such improvements. Oregon also funds its streets program with money from a dedicated capital budget, and the stepped-up spending in this area is expected to continue.

“We’re looking to ratchet up the road program in coming years. We really think we’re going to have a robust street program in coming years,” Administrator Mike Beazley said at council’s meeting last week, adding that this year’s projects were about as much as could be done in one construction season.

Other projects include Cedar Point and Brown roads as well as intersection improvements at Dearborn Avenue at Ansonia and Grasser streets and Mambrino Road. The intersections of Munding Drive and Ansonia and Grasser also will be improved.

There are also various asphalt pavement repairs plans, including Navarre and Starr avenues, along with Woodville, Corduroy, Pickle, and Jersey roads and South Shore Boulevard.

Slated for crack sealing are Woodville, Navarre, and Wynn roads and other streets.

Council also is to approve $1,194,600 to hire Arcadis U.S. Inc. to design a high-service pump replacement and raw-water intake improvements at the water treatment plant on North Curtice Road. This is part of the city’s agreement with Oregon Clean Energy LLC, which plans to break ground on a gas-fired power station this summer. The city will be reimbursed by the firm for this cost.

The new pump will enable the treatment plant to provide the planned power station with more raw water, which is needed for cooling, Service Director Paul Roman explained. He said Oregon Clean Energy also would pay for a 14-million gallon pond next to the treatment plant to ensure it has a two-day reserve of water, he said.

Mr. Beazley said the pond would benefit the city because it could be used as an emergency water supply.

Contact Carl Ryan at: carlryan@theblade.com or 419-724-6095.