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Campbell experiences setbacks in road projects
Photo
A bridge goes over Wilson Avenue in Campbell where a sewer cage is being constructed. Various repaving and projects are taking place in Campbell. State funds, grants and a levy are being used to pay for the projects.
CAMPBELL
Every spring, complaints about potholes and poor road conditions seem to flood into Campbell city official offices.
Judith Clement, director of administration, said she hopes the number of calls on potholes decreases next spring, as the city is undertaking construction to repave its most-used roadways.
“Either me, the mayor’s office or the street department get quite a few calls after winter,” Clement said. The construction projects “might make my job easier come spring.”
Clement said to expect to see construction workers between now and snowfall working along Campbell’s biggest roadways in an effort to repave them.
Mayor William VanSuch said the city will repave all of state Route 289, Robinson Road from Wilson Avenue to state Route 616 and Warhurst Road and Tenney Avenue from Wilson Avenue to Struthers-Liberty Road. The Route 289 project cost is $1.8 million; the Robinson Road and Warhurst Road, Tenney Avenue projects cost $1.4 million.
He said the $1.8 million project is all funded by the state, and the $1.4 million projects are 80 percent funded by grants and 20 percent funded by a levy.
VanSuch said 14th Street from Robinson Avenue to Tenney Avenue was also a repaving project this year that cost about $70,000 and was funded by a community development block grant. Clement said that several-week-long project was completed about a month ago.
VanSuch said Robinson Road is next up to be repaved. Chris Tolnar, project manager of GPD Group, Youngstown, said to expect to see repaving work there start either next week or the week after.
“Robinson Road hasn’t been done for years,” Clement said. “Then we’ve had really bad winters — last year was the worst snow in a long time. So a combination of winter and not being paved for years put that street in horrible condition.”
VanSuch said to expect Tenney Avenue after Robinson Road, and Route 289 last.
VanSuch said, however, there have been some issues with stormwater runoff for the Route 289 project. Stormwater runoff is rain or snow that flows over the ground instead of seeping into the ground.
“The problems we’re having on Wilson Avenue ... is with the stormwater runoff,” VanSuch said. “Our biggest problem is that at one time, everybody took their stormwater — rain spouting and stuff — and it was attached to their basement and went into a sanitation sewer. It was never disconnected. But from this day on, we have codes on our books that this has to go through the streets.”
Clement said the city originally estimated Route 289 would be done before Christmas, but due to setbacks, she said that might not be the case. Neither VanSuch, Clement nor Tolnar could say exact dates for when any of the three construction projects would be done.
“Just be patient with this,” VanSuch said. “We are making progress — maybe not as fast as you’d like, but there’s progress.”
“All these paving projects are [the] mostly traveled routes,” Clement said. “It’s going to be much more convenient, making drives through here easier for people.”