Youngstown set to begin repaving 72 streets

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The city is spending $1,335,151 to pave portions of 72 streets, mostly in neighborhoods, with work starting about May 30.

The paving will be finished in August, said Charles Shasho, the city’s deputy director of public works.

Nearly all of the streets being improved this year haven’t been paved in at least a decade, he said.

“Streets aren’t on a rotation,” Shasho said. “We won’t pave a street unless it really needs it. I’d love to see our resurfacing budget be three times as large as we have, but we don’t have the money. But we’re being aggressive as we can with paving.”

RT Vernal Paving & Excavating of North Lima will be the paving project’s contractor for the fifth straight year. The company’s proposal was the lowest of four submitted to the city for the neighborhood paving job with the other proposals ranging in cost from $1,493,937 to $1,845,997.

The portions of 72 streets being paved equals 25 lane miles. A lane mile is 1 mile long and 12 feet wide.

The city had 24 lane miles done last year and between 21 and 27 lane miles since 2010.

Read the full story with a listing of all streets that are on the paving list Monday in The Vindicator.