43
Mahoning puts skids on paving
Nine roads in eight townships covering 10 miles will be resurfaced.
YOUNGSTOWN — Due to rising materials costs, Mahoning County is planning to pave only 10 miles of county roads this year, compared with 23 miles last year.
“We just can’t afford to do more,” said Marilyn Kenner, chief deputy county engineer. “If there is additional money available, we will seek every penny that we can to put into road resurfacing,” she added.
County officials will know the cost of this year’s effort when bids are opened May 6. This year the county plans to pave portions of nine roads in eight townships. County roads total 488 miles in Mahoning County.
Last year, when the county spent $1.9 million for the 23-mile project, County Engineer Richard Marsico noted that, five to 10 years earlier, that amount of money would have paved 45 miles of roads.
Kenner complained then that asphalt prices had nearly doubled since 2000.
“Even though our revenues are stable and slightly declining, the costs of everything have gone up. So, it’s not just fuel that affects us; it’s everything,” Kenner said Tuesday.
Despite the drop in oil prices since last year, the price of asphalt, which is an oil-based product, has risen, Kenner said in response to a question from County Commissioner David N. Ludt.
The price of hot asphalt has risen from $44 to $55 a ton last year to $55 to $58 a ton this year, Kenner said. Cold-mix asphalt has doubled from $50 to $100 a ton since 2007, Kenner added.
The cold mix is used during the colder months for temporary pothole filling before hot asphalt is available to make permanent repairs.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the county commissioners bought $51,450 worth of crushed stone from LaFarge North America, which is half the county’s normal $114,000 annual order. That’s because the county has ordered half of last year’s quantity of crushed stone due to the reduced mileage of the paving program this year, Kenner explained.
The crushed stone is placed in road beds and road shoulders. The paving effort this year will include more than a mile each of Palmyra Road in Milton Township, Western Reserve Road on the Boardman-Beaver townships border, Raccoon Road in Canfield Township, Oyster Road in Smith Township, and East South Range Road.
in Beaver and Springfield townships.
It also includes almost two miles of North East River Road along the east shoreline of Lake Milton.