CITY, COUNTY VIE FOR $12M FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS
Road work, bridge replacements among potential projects.
About $11.9 million in capital funds are up for grabs for Montgomery County communities, and Dayton and the county hope to win awards to pay for improvements including road reconstruction, bridge replacements and sewer main upgrades.
The Dayton City Commission recently approved seeking about $5.2 million in funding from the Ohio Public Works Commission for seven projects.
The Montgomery County Engineer’s preliminary list of projects to request awards includes three bridge replacements and the resurfacing of two roadways.
The state funding is highly competitive but sorely needed to replace and upgrade infrastructure that is in poor shape and expensive to repair, officials said.
“These projects are important because we need to continue to repair our thoroughfares — not just pave them, but repair the base,” said Steve Finke, Dayton’s assistant director of operations in public works.
The Ohio Public Works Commission helps finance local public infrastructure improvements through two programs. Funding is provided through grants, loans, loan assistance and local debt support.
The State Capital Improvement Program supports improvements to roads, bridges, culverts, water supply systems, wastewater systems, storm water collection systems and solid waste disposal facilities, said Donna Kirkbride, program representative for the commission.
The Local Transportation Improvement Program is limited to roads and bridges.
The commission has about $11.9 million available to fund projects in District 4, which encompasses Montgomery County.
Requests for funding are due by Aug. 17, and the funding will become available July 2017, Kirkbride said.
The city of Dayton is seeking funding to partially pay for a variety of capital infrastructure improvements. The city plans to come up with some matching funds.
The city requested $740,000 to replace water mains at England Avenue, Shaftsbury Road, Kensington Road, Prescott Avenue and South Westview Avenue. The projects are part of a 10-year, asset-management program the city embarked on in 2013.
Dayton also is seeking almost $4.5 million to reconstruct or rehab parts of Monument Avenue, Springfield Street, Valley Street and Wayne Avenue.
The Monument Avenue project would focus on an area between Keowee and Findlay streets and would include base repair and resurfacing, said Finke.
The other road projects would include replacing the pavement, curbs, sidewalks and street lights.
The overall combined cost of the infrastructure projects is about $11 million.
The city is keen on rebuilding Valley Street and Wayne Avenue because both have the remnants of rail car tracks beneath the pavement running down the middle of the roads.
The bases of some city streets date to the late 1800s and the old street car system.
The rail ties are made of wood and when they deteriorate, they leave voids that result in bumpy rides for motorists, Finke said. About 10 roads in Dayton still have rail car ties.
“They cause that washboard effect when you’re driving,” Finke said.
The Wayne Avenue project would be the second phase of a larger rebuild.
The first phase won a nearly $1.1 million award from the public works commission last year. The project is expected to go out to bid early next year.
The first phase focused on the section of road between Wilmington and Phillips streets. The second phase targets the area between Phillips and Watervliet streets.
The Montgomery County Engineer Office’s preliminary wish list of capital projects includes the Keowee Street, Valley Street and the Old Springfield Road bridges, according to Paul Gruner, Montgomery County engineer.
The other projects under consideration are resurfacing for Diamond Mill and Social Row roads. Montgomery County Environmental Services also submits projects, Gruner said.
Montgomery County projects in the last funding round were awarded about $6.5 million. Projects included the Diamond Mill Road bridge and water main replacements for West Ridgeway, Arthur Plat, Woodland Hills, Braddock and Bromfield.