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Mahoning County prepares for more paving projects
By Justin Wier
YOUNGSTOWN
Mahoning County Engineer Pat Ginnetti has $2.1 million in paving projects lined up for the next few months, covering more than 20 miles of road across the county.
“We’ve been busy with Meridian Road,” he said. “But it’s going to heat up here. This is the heart of the construction season.”
Slightly more than half of the $2.1 million comes from Ohio Public Works Commission grants, with the county providing the rest.
The projects will begin the middle of the month, Ginnetti said, and they should be completed by the end of October, depending on the weather.
Some of the bigger projects include paving New and Raccoon roads in Austintown and Glenwood Avenue and Hitchcock Road in Boardman.
The engineer’s office also has received several calls about Washingtonville Road in Green, which will be resurfaced this year.
While the county closed several roads to replace culverts in preparation for the paving projects, Ginnetti said the projects themselves will not require any additional road closings.
The county’s construction season begins later than others because the projects are dependent on state grants political subdivisions receive at the beginning of the fiscal year, which starts July 1.
The resurfacing project on Meridian Road, which is a partnership between the county and Youngstown, will continue, Ginnetti said.
The first phase, extending from Interstate 680 to Mahoning Avenue, will wrap up by the end of October. The second phase, extending from Mahoning Avenue to Cornersburg, will begin the middle of the month.
“That [second phase] will not cause anywhere near the inconvenience the other section is posing,” Ginnetti said.
The county also has partnerships with the village of Sebring to resurface 12th Street and with the village of New Middletown to resurface New Middletown Road.
“We’re constantly trying to partner up with other communities to stretch the dollars,” Ginnetti said.
With the amount of roadwork needed in the county, Ginnetti said there isn’t enough money to go around.
“If I put our entire budget solely into paving roads, I couldn’t fix everything,” he said.
Funding drives the construction schedule, Ginnetti said, and a few major projects, including a roundabout at Five Points in Springfield Township, are still a few years away.
Ginnetti advised motorists to be patient and take their time while projects are completed.
“Pay attention, and don’t text and drive,” he said. “Traffic will stop periodically, but it’s a temporary inconvenience.”