ASHLAND — Ashland City Council is seeking bids for this year’s road paving effort, an amount the mayor touted as a “record year” that aligns with the city’s goal to rehabilitate its roads.
Council members unanimously approved an ordinance Tuesday seeking bids for a $2.1 million road resurfacing project to be completed this summer.
Mayor Matt Miller said the budgeted money, made possible by tax revenue aimed at road work, will allow the city to repave 25 streets.
He said the amount of streets could change depending on asphalt prices, which could affect bid amounts from construction companies.
“If they come back sky-high, that means we can do less streets. If they come back lower than expected, we can do more streets,” Miller said Tuesday, while addressing council.
Identifying streets for repaving included the hiring of a firm in 2020 to assign each city street a rating, Miller said. The city’s engineering department then took those ratings and matched them with research based on historical condition ratings and traffic volume to come up with a list.
The final list for 2021 has not been made public. City Engineer Shane Kremser was not immediately available to comment.
Miler said part of determining which streets are to be paved includes contacting utility companies to see which roads will receive work in the coming years, such as Claremont Avenue.
“We all know Claremont Avenue needs attention. But we also know that if we wait one more year, we’ll have over $2 million worth of that project covered with a state grant,” the mayor said.
The city received a $2 million state grant in September that will result in a smoother surface, new curbs and drainage and other miscellaneous improvements. The Ohio Department of Transportation has said it will begin work on the project in 2022.
The 2020 renewal of an income tax levy earmarked for road repair and maintenance means Ashland residents will continue to see road construction through 2025. The levy was established in 2016 and has raked in $4.8 million since. The tax revenue has also resulted in around $1.5 million in additional state funding.
