Repaving of Mahoning Avenue in Austintown to begin in 2 weeks
The near doubling in price of road salt will make road maintenance more expensive.
YOUNGSTOWN — The repaving of Mahoning Avenue in Austintown is expected to begin Sept. 29, said Marilyn Kenner, chief deputy Mahoning County engineer.
The project includes repaving Mahoning Avenue from Meridian Road to Meander Reservoir, installation of handicapped-accessible curb ramps, repair of damaged curbs, and removal of an unused railroad crossing between Meridian and Four Mile Run roads.
The contractor will have 60 days to complete the job, weather permitting, Kenner said.
On Thursday, the county commissioners agreed to advance $600,000 from the county’s general fund for the project to cover increased costs due to high oil prices, and they took two recently received bids for the project under advisement.
The advance is in anticipation of the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments technical advisory committee’s approval next month of $600,000 in federal highway funds to cover that increase.
The initial cost estimate was $1.8 million, but in the initial round of bidding, the bids had to be rejected because they came in more than 20 percent above that figure.
Two bids were opened Sept. 10 in the second round of bidding, and they were within $2,500 of each other and below the new engineer’s estimate of $2,547,000. The lower bidder was The Shelly Co. of Twinsburg at $2,527,728. The higher bidder was Shelly & Sands Inc. of Girard at $2,530,205.
Kenner said she hopes the county commissioners will award a contract at their next meeting at 10 a.m. Thursday in the county courthouse basement. The state has authorized the commissioners to award a contract, she said.
County Engineer Richard A. Marsico said repaving is under way on Bailey Road between Mahoning Avenue and Silica Road in North Jackson and on Sharrott Road between Western Reserve Road and state Route 165 in Beaver Township.
Marsico said he hopes the work on Sharrott Road can be completed by the end of next week and the work on Bailey Road can be completed within three weeks.
With winter road maintenance looming ahead, Marsico said the price of road salt has nearly doubled from $37 a ton last year to $71 a ton this year because of a salt shortage from the severity of last winter and increased transportation costs.
“Everybody used so much last year that their supply was completely depleted, so their mining capacity in normal working hours is overcommitted already. So whatever they’re committing to now, they have to work extra hours,” Marsico said of the salt suppliers.
That means the county will make every effort to conserve its salt supply this coming winter, Marsico said, adding his department’s fuel costs have recently risen at least 30 percent. “I don’t think we’re going to have bare roads this year” when roads are treated after a winter storm, Marsico said. “We hope it’s a mild winter.”
Top road treatment priorities will be hills, curves and intersections, Marsico said.