The Royalton Road widening project is one of five transportation projects that the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) is looking for funding. The NOACA Board voted to apply for funding through the Cleveland-Cuyahoga Port Authority at their June 10 Board meeting. The Port Authority would then issue bonds on behalf of NOACA.
Ultimately, the widening of Royalton Road will be done in three phases, with the first section to run the span between West 130th Street to York Road. The subsequent sections of Rt. 82 will then be widened, between York and Ridge Roads, and Ridge Road to the North Royalton eastern border with Broadview Heights. The widening project is expected to include the installation of a center-turning lane, widening intersections, the addition of sidewalks, traffic light improvement, installation of storm sewers, culvert improvement/replacement, sanitary improvement and storm water detention basin construction.
NOACA, is an environmental and transportation planning agency that represents the state, as well as cities, villages and townships in Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga, Lorain and Medina counties.
According to agency officials, “the agency and its partners cooperatively develop and implement plans to ensure that travel throughout the region is safe, cost-effective and environmentally sound. NOACA’s vision is to strengthen regional cohesion, preserve existing infrastructure, and build a sustainable multimodal transportation system to support economic development and enhance quality of life in Northeast Ohio.”
According to NOACA officials, “The Board of Directors of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) gave their approval for the Agency to evaluate and arrange financing through the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority’s Infrastructure Financing Program for five existing Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) projects. The projects were originally planned for financing through the State Infrastructure Bank (SIB), but there are currently no funds available through the SIB to finance any of them.” If received, NOACA would repay the bonds using federal Surface Transportation Block Grant program funding, which it receives annually.
The total estimated cost for the five projects is $60.1 million, of which NOACA’s share is $44,537,946. Besides the Royalton Road widening projects, the other four projects include the East 55th Street construction project; the Highland Road Bridges construction project; the Tower City Bridges construction project; and the Carpenter Road construction project. The Royalton Road, is being sponsored by Cuyahoga County and estimated at $13.5 million for construction and construction administration costs. The NOACA share of the project is estimated at $10,348,800.
“NOACA is working collaboratively with the Ohio Department of Transportation and Port Authority administrators to finalize this plan as an innovative transportation financing option,” said NOACA officials. “Such mechanisms are recognized as a best practice by the U.S. Department of Transportation and their use is encouraged. The financing plan would provide loans for public improvement infrastructure projects with comparable administrative and financial terms to SIB loans. The loan will be repaid from the NOACA-administered Surface Transportation Program (STP) funds that are apportioned annually to NOACA. The term of the loan is up to 30 years.”
The Port Authority is expected to discuss the matter at their board meeting this month, according to Mayor Bob Stefanik.
By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer