By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer

The North Royalton City Council unanimously adopted legislation at their April 15 meeting that would allow the final leg of the Sprague Road project to proceed. The repaving of the final section of Sprague Road, just under two miles, from State Road to Broadview Road, had been put on hold last year.

The joint project pairs North Royalton with Parma and Broadview Heights, as well as Cuyahoga County. Initially, Parma was to complete a sewer project in that area in late August/early September. The repaving of the entire area in asphalt was then to take place. According to City Engineer, Mark Schmitzer, the delay took place due to unforseen work that was encountered by the city of Parma.

The sewer and culvert portion of the project started in June of last year, closing Sprague Road between Hoertz and Broadview Roads and detouring traffic to both Broadview and Hoertz Roads to Pleasant Valley Road. The repaving was planned to take place after the completion of the sewer project that is being constructed by the city of Parma. The expectation was that Parma’s entire sewer project would be completed in about 40 days, in late August/early September. At that time, the resurfacing of the asphalt road was to begin, and take between 30 and 60 days to repave, dependent upon the weather and any unforseen problems that might be encountered.

Problems were encountered last year, when, due to the proximity of utilities to the roadway, it was decided to run a trench through the middle of the road to accommodate the sanitary sewer line. The trench caused concerns with the durability of that portion of the road, and different designs needed to be researched. At that time officials discussed moving forward with the resurfacing of the portion in North Royalton and continuing with the remainder of the project this year. Ultimately, it was decided to put a hold on the entire resurfacing project, in order to produce a more uniform resurfacing. “We didn’t want five to six years to pass and have the bottom give out,” said Schmitzer. It was decided that, among other things, the roadway would then be surfaced in concrete, rather than asphalt to ensure the durability and longevity of the roadway.

North Royalton’s share of the project is expected to cost the city about $161,300, or 23% of the $2.3 million project. Parma will pay about 50% and Broadview Heights, about 27%, according to Schmitzer. The project will partially be funded by the State’s Issue 1 program, which will provide a 0%, 20-year loan in the amount of about $464,600. There was also an agreement by Cuyahoga County to provide 70% of the project cost. There is discussion currently with the county to cover the complete cost of the project at that rate, otherwise, the project cost will go up about $125,000 for each of the three cities.“We could have split the project, but at the end of the day, all three cities and mayors agreed that they want to do this right. For the increase in cost, we thought we’d be getting a better product, a better road,” said Schmitzer.

“The project is a go,” said Schmitzer. “All three cities have committed to complete the construction this summer. We just need to put the pieces of the puzzle together.” Currently, the bid specifications are being prepared. Schmitzer expects the construction to be underway this summer.