At its September 4 meeting, the North Royalton City Council adopted an ordinance that authorizes the Mayor to enter into an agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) for the resurfacing project of Rt. 82. This is not to be confused with the widening project, but will resurface an area of Rt. 82 that is not currently being widened.
Even though a portion of the Rt. 82 widening project has begun, the entirety of the stretch through North Royalton will not be widened any time soon. In fact, the portion between York Road and the eastern corporation line to Broadview Heights is not even on the books. That stretch is approximately 2.56 miles long, according to North Royalton City Engineer, Mark Schmitzer. Because of that fact and deterioration of the roadway, the portion needs to be maintained.
Earlier this year, the city met with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to discuss the repaving of a portion of Rt. 82 that runs through North Royalton, which initiated the plan.
As always, the city is trying to reduce costs where possible. It had submitted the preventive maintenance projects that it had already been performed on that stretch of Rt. 82 with the hopes to drive the city’s portion of the cost down.
As a result of the meeting, plans were then made for the $1.17 million repaving project. The project will be funded through an 80/20 split, with ODOT paying 80%, up to a maximum of $936,000. The city of North Royalton will cover 20% of the cost of the project. Of the ODOT portion, about $234,000 will be funded through the Urban Paving Program.
The Urban Paving Program provides funding for “eligible surface treatment and resurfacing projects on state and U.S. Routes within municipal corporations,” according to state officials. “An annual allocation is set statewide and distributed to each of ODOT’s 12 districts based on a district’s City State and U.S. Route System” mileage and the condition of those routes, according to ODOT’s Pavement Condition Rating System.”
According to Mayor Bob Stefanik, the project is on schedule to go out to bid late this year or early 2019. It is expected to begin construction in late spring/early summer of 2019.
The Phase 1 widening project is moving along, according to Community Development Director Tom Jordan. Trees have been removed from that area and utility work is being done. The project begins just west of the Walnut Hills Drive/Rt. 82 intersection and continue east to just west of the York Road/Rt. 82 intersection. Phase 1 of the project is being broken into two sections. The first section runs from Abbey Road, west. The second section runs from Abbey Road, east to York Road.
By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer