Youngstown council to consider downtown street improvements Wednesday

YOUNGSTOWN — City council will consider Wednesday authorizing that proposals be sought to improve two of downtown’s busiest streets.

The legislation would be for resurfacing, pavement markings and replacing traffic signs on West Federal Street between Phelps and Walnut streets and on Market Street from Front to Commerce streets, said Charles Shasho, deputy director of public works for the city.

The project will cost about $400,000 with 80 percent of the expense coming from a federal grant and the rest from the city’s $5 vehicle license fee, Shasho said.

If approved by council, the board of control would be permitted to seek proposals and enter into a contract for the work. A contractor would be hired in July, Shasho said.

The work would start in August, shortly after the conclusion of the Greater Youngstown Italian Fest that occupies much of the same space as the improvement project location, he said. The festival is Aug. 4-6.

The project would take about two weeks to complete with the streets closed to vehicular traffic for about a week for resurfacing work, Shasho said.

“The roads would be closed to ease the convenience of downtown businesses because if we shut it down, it would be done quicker,” he said. “If we had the roads open during construction, it would drag it along for a couple of months.”

For the complete story, read Tuesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com