Additional project costs OK'd

The state controlling board also approved a YSU land purchase.
By JEFF ORTEGA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS -- The state has approved increased costs for two Trumbull County road projects -- one because of delays in getting the needed project permits and the other for additional work on that project.
Without comment, the Ohio Controlling Board on Monday approved the release of $415,184 for a change order for the $1.4 million widening project on state Route 46.
The board also voted to release $112,282 for a change order to the $204,897 pedestrian tunnel project on Warren-Ravenna Road.
According to state documents, the Route 46 project consists of improving 0.61 mile of the thoroughfare in Howland Township by widening the pavement to three lanes. Monday's request was for additional compensation to contractor Shelly Co. of Thornville, Ohio, for delays and interferences mostly connected with the approval of the required waterway permits from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and United States Army Corps of Engineers before construction, state officials wrote to board members.
Pedestrian tunnel
The Warren-Ravenna Road project consists of improving 0.06 mile of the road in the city of Newton Falls by installing galvanized pipe segments under the CSX Railroad to be used as a pedestrian tunnel, according to state documents.
The request was for additional compensation to the contractor on that project -- Mike Pusateri Excavating Inc. of East Liverpool -- for performing additional work, requested by CSX Railroad, to install the tunnel liner under railroad tracks, state documents say.
In other business, the board approved a request from Youngstown State University to buy 0.109 of an acre in Mahoning County for $5,000 from Lauretta Oldham, Alice Williams and Lillian Maffey for an addition to the university master plan.
The board also approved another YSU request to buy 0.4909 acres in Mahoning County for $39,600 from Geneva R. Mason, also for an addition to the university master plan.
Made up of six state lawmakers and a representative of the governor's office, the controlling board has the final say over some of the state's larger spending projects.