ASHLAND — Ashland’s street resurfacing hasn’t started yet, but the contractor — Sarver Paving — has told the city they plan to start later this month.
Ashland Mayor Matt Miller said the company has been waiting for other utility work from Columbia Gas along Seventh Street to finish work there.
“Most of this year’s street resurfacing will take place in that area,” Miller said.
City council adopted an ordinance in April that allows Ashland to spend $400,000 on resurfacing 12 streets and 22 alleys. Most of the streets are located in the northern part of the city.
This year’s street resurfacing project is a continuation of last year’s contract with Sarver Paving, said Shane Kremser, the city’s engineer.
City council approved of a change order to pave another portion of Claremont Avenue, but the company didn’t start on the $2.6 million project spanning 60 city streets until August.
Sarver did not finish the job by the Oct. 31 deadline because city officials changed the scope of the project, and added another 0.7 mile section of Claremont Avenue. Sarver agreed, and kept prices of materials at 2023 figures.
Kremser said he spoke to Sarver last week about the company’s plan.
“I checked on whether they think they can get it done. They said they can,” he said, adding the plan involves securing a milling machine to start on Claremont Avenue by the end of the month.
Once the section of Claremont Avenue is milled, a crew will repave it while the machine is used on the other 11 streets, Kremser said.
Sarver does not own a milling machine or equipment for pavement striping, Kremser said.
“So there’s lots of moving pieces and parts,” he said.
Update on Sandusky Street and U.S. 42
Meanwhile, work on State Route 96 — known locally as Sandusky Street — started earlier this summer. Kokosing’s construction team has worked on the street since earlier this summer and plans on beginning work along U.S. Route 42 soon.
The city’s contract with ODOT states the work needs to be complete on those roads by Nov. 1.
Ashland’s portion of the project shakes out to be $744,536. Part of that local match, $426,520, has already been paid for through the city’s allocation of American Rescue Plan Act money.
Officials said the city’s local matching funds for ODOT’s project along U.S. 42 and State Route 96 meant the number of roads to be repaved this summer is smaller.