Eastgate revamps road-work plans

By Denise Dick

Parts of Herbert Road and Fairground Boulevard would be paved if stimulus projects are approved.

YOUNGSTOWN — A handful of road projects initially tapped for submittal by the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments for federal stimulus funding have been replaced by four others.

The $770,000 Trumbull County project to rehabilitate and resurface Mahoning Avenue in Warren from Main Street Northwest to the east city corporation limit had been on Eastgate’s list of 14 projects submitted for $9.3 million in federal stimulus dollars.

John Getchey, Eastgate executive director, said that project had been tapped for stimulus funding by the state and therefore has been removed from the Eastgate list.

About $1.3 million in work to update Trumbull County’s bridge load rating analysis and assessment didn’t qualify for the federal money.

To replace those projects, Eastgate selected a $400,000 plan to resurface Herbert Road from Canfield city’s east to west limits and Fairground Boulevard from state Route 46 to city limits.

The other replacements are $430,790 to resurface High Street in Warren from Mahoning to Chestnut Avenue; $494,000 to resurface Trumbull Avenue from the Girard limits to state Route 192, West Liberty Street from Four Mile Run Road to Salt Springs Road and West Liberty Street from Salt Springs to Girard; $297,000 to resurface Austintown-Warren Road in Warren Township from Burnett East Road to the Warren city limits; and $543,500 to resurface and repair Austintown-Warren Road in Weathersfield Township from Lordstown to Carson Salt Springs Road, Carson Salt Springs Road from the railroad tracks to Austintown-Warren and Bedford Road from state Route 82 to Warren-Sharon Road.

Eastgate’s general policy board approved the changes at a meeting Monday.

As the metropolitan planning organization for Mahoning and Trumbull counties, Eastgate is administering the federal stimulus money for transportation projects. The projects must be approved by state officials before the money is received.

Eastgate also is the local development district for the Appalachian Regional Commission. Last year, Mahoning, Trumbull and Ashtabula counties were added to the ARC, making them eligible for additional federal funding.

Getchey said Monday that Ashtabula is joining Eastgate. Although that county’s transportation projects won’t be administered through that agency, funding through ARC will.

The three counties will receive a $500,000 allocation this year. “The governor’s office will pick the projects this year,” Getchey said.

Eastgate will develop a ratings system for projects applying next year and in future years.