ASHLAND — The Claremont Avenue resurfacing project received four bids for slated work that officials hope will wrap up this year.
Bloomville-based Driven Excavating was awarded the $5,085,679 contract, but city officials have yet to sign final documents, Ashland Mayor Matt Miller said during Tuesday’s council meeting.
“We’ll have a better idea on a timeline once we have all those contracts signed,” he said.
The highest bidder, Rietschlin Construction Inc., valued the project at $8.1 million. Other bidders included Karvo Companies at $6.2 million, and Underground Utilities Inc. at $5.4 million, according to a city document.
Council first sought bids for the resurfacing of a section of the four-lane road in March 2022, estimating the project to cost around $3.6 million. When only one bid came back, it was $1 million more than the estimate, prompting the city to re-advertise.
Before they did, however, city officials managed to convince Kokosing Construction to repave “the worst sections” of the thoroughfare on the southwest end of city, part of the company’s contract that included Ashland’s 2021 street resurfacing plan.
When council advertised for bids again in November, the project’s estimate climbed to $5.4 million in order to include foundational repairs, replacing curbs, addressing drainage issues like catch basins, and installing sidewalks in some sections between Smith and Baney roads.
The city also increased the contract amount by deciding to add the replacement of a water line that runs underneath Claremont Avenue between Smith and Baney roads.
Much of the project will be covered by state grants. The city received a $2 million grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation in 2020. Another $400,000 is coming from a grant program at the Ohio Public Works Commission. That leaves around $2.7 million that local taxpayers will need to cover.
Finance Director Larry Paxton has said the local share can be covered with either untouched permissive tax revenue to the tune of $600,000, or a combination of that and federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars.
The city has not yet allocated any of its $2.1 million ARPA share, Paxton has said.
