The city recently received notification from the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) that they will receive funding for a portion of the York Road Rehabilitation Project. The project includes the area between Wallings Road and Sprague Road. The project was applied for earlier this year.
“The scope of work is a simple mill and fill improvement project of the pavement,” according to North Royalton City Engineer, Mark Schmitzer. This would be similar to the Ridge Road project several years ago. Schmitzer said that NOACA had “solicited projects from five counties in late 2018 that the City applied for that met the goals for funding.”
Mayor Bob Stefanik received the notification that the NOACA Board of Directors approved the NOACA funded portion of the project, which amounts to about $530,000, or 80% of the project. That amount covers the certain construction costs, up to the maximum amount in the specified State Fiscal Year of implementation, which is targeted for 2022. The City of North Royalton will be obligated to fund the remaining 20%, which must be provided for from a non-federal funding source. The city will also be responsible for any extras to the project, which will be discussed with NOACA members next September. Stefanik said that this is another example of how the city has been diligent in seeking and securing outside funding in order to maximize the use of the contribution of North Royalton taxpayers.
The grant is part of NOACA’s State Fiscal Year 2021-2024 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). This project aligns with NOACA and community priorities toward the implementation of the region’s “AIM Forward 2040” long-range transportation plan. “If the long-range transportation plan is the blueprint showing where the region’s transportation system will go over the next 20 years, the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is the tool for implementing the plan,” according to NOACA officials. “The TIP includes all federally funded projects and regionally significant, non-federally funded transportation projects to be implemented in NOACA’s five counties over the next four fiscal years; budgets, prioritizes and schedules federal-aid highway, transit and transportation alternatives projects; Assists the transportation community and the public track the use of state, local and federal transportation funds; Accounts for the region’s immediate transportation system expenditures,” It has a four-year time frame and is updated by NOACA every two years and amended quarterly by the NOACA Board of Directors.
By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer