Engineer’s office to repave 21 miles

The cost of road resurfacing has nearly doubled in five years, the county engineer says.

By PETER H. MILLIKEN

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning County engineer’s office plans to repave about 21 miles of county roads in a $1.7 million, two-month effort beginning late July, said Richard A. Marsico, county engineer.

Among the most notable parts of the project will be the repaving of the southernmost mile of Glenwood Avenue, between Forest Garden Drive and Western Reserve Road in Boardman; more than two miles of Tippecanoe Road, between Canfield Road and Lockwood Boulevard; and more than three miles of Western Reserve Road, between Pricetown and Helsel roads in western Mahoning County.

The paving project will be paid for by gasoline tax and motor vehicle license revenues and Ohio Public Works Commission funds. Landfill dumping fees, known as tipping fees, will be used to help the effort in townships that have landfills.

Bids will be opened for the project at 1:30 p.m., May 30, in the county purchasing office. The project includes some bridge deck repair and culvert replacement on roads to be paved.

The mileage that can be paved within a given budget has been reduced in recent years by rising oil prices, which increase the cost of the oil byproduct used as a binder in the asphalt and the cost of transporting and applying the asphalt.

“If this was back five years ago, with the same amount of money, we would probably be able to do close to 40 miles [of road resurfacing],” Marsico said. “We sure would like to be able to do more.”

This year’s program is larger than last year’s, for which the county spent $1.4 million to pave 15 miles of roads.

Other roads to be repaved this year are:

• Southern Boulevard from Indianola Road to Home Depot in Boardman.

• Four Mile Run Road from Meridian Road to Mahoning Avenue in Austintown.

• Struthers Road between U.S. Route 224 and Arrel Road in Poland Township.

• Beard Road between Western Reserve and Calla roads in Springfield Township.

• Blott Road between Rosemont and Gault roads in Jackson Township.

• Pine Lake Road from Market Street to Beaver-Springfield Road in Beaver Township.

• West Pine Lake Road between Pricetown and Smith-Goshen roads in Goshen Township.

• East Middletown Road between Springfield and Beard roads in Springfield Township.

• West Middletown Road between state routes 534 and 14 in Goshen Township.

• South Duck Creek Road from Ellsworth Road to U.S. Route 224.

• Garfield Road between Pricetown and Smith-Goshen roads in Goshen Township.

• Ellet Road from Fifth Street to U.S. Route 62 in Smith Township.

• Twelth Street from U.S. Route 62 to the Sebring Village line in Smith Township.

• Mahoning-Stark County Line Road between Courtney and Lexington roads.