Council approves road grants

Broadway, East 28th, East 36th streets on list

The city of Lorain has a number of street improvement projects coming down the road.

On Sept. 20, Lorain City Council approved agreements with county and state transportation leaders for pavement upgrades on three routes.

The legislation prompted comments from council members who said the repairs are needed. The projects are scheduled for summer, said SafetyService

Director Sanford Washington.

The city will use street repair levy money, loans from the Ohio State Infrastructure Bank and storm sewer funds.

The projects have been in the works for several years. The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency sent its notification letter in 2019.

“We are pleased to inform you that the following projects were selected for funding as they represent an alignment of NOACA and community priorities toward the implementation of the region’s AIM Forward 2040 long-range transportation plan,” said the letter from NOACA Executive Director Grace Gallucci.

The city will use street repair levy money, loans from the Ohio State Infrastructure Bank and storm sewer funds.

On Broadway

The city will spend $193,032 to team up with the Lorain County Engineer’s Office for the county to provide engineering services to rebuild Broadway from Ohio Route 2 to East 28th Street in Lorain. The project will qualify for federal highway funding to pay up to 80 percent of the project cost, up to $1.96 million.

The estimated construction cost is $1.67 million, with the federal highway funding covering up to 80 percent of the cost.

The roadway runs in both Sheffield Township and Lorain.

In conjunction with the project, the county will cover the cost to replace an existing water main between North Ridge Road

and West 39th Street. That job is estimated to cost $869,285.

Councilman-at-Large Mitch Fallis praised the project, saying he has had a lot questions about the condition of South Broadway and when it will be repaired.

“It’s good to have an answer and that we can see, very close in the near future that that roadway will be repaired and provide smooth driving for our residents and guests,” Fallis said. “Glad to see that this is on the radar here for the next 12 months.”

Ward 4 Councilman Greg Argenti said there was no question about the necessity of the project.

But Argenti asked Law Director Pat Riley if it was possible for the city to complete the project without involving Lorain County.

“I just don’t have a lot of confidence in the engineer’s office and even less in the

county administration,” Argenti said. In the past the city has had difficulty getting reimbursed from the county, he said.

After discussing the issue with city Engineering Department staff, Riley said he saw nothing wrong with the city and county entering the contract for the job.

“I really don’t think it’s a legal question. I think the question here is whether or not the business of the city and county doing business together in some way is a concern of council or the administration,” Riley said.

“So I don’t see a problem with the legal format here,” because the project is in the city and county jurisdiction, Riley said.

Argenti said he has observed county projects on Elyria Avenue and Ohio Route 254 and “it’s quite a debacle.”

East 28th Street

The city will spend

$216,000 to reconstruct East 28th Street from Grove Avenue to Tacoma Avenue.

The project will qualify for federal highway funding to pay up to 80 percent of the project cost, up to $900,000.

The street will be rebuilt with a concrete driving surface, Fallis said, and it needed replacement five years ago.

Of all the rough streets in South Lorain, that section of East 28th Street may be one of the worst, said Ward 6 Councilman Rey Carrion. The repairs are sorely needed and will be a welcome change for businesses there, he said.

East 36th Street

Lorain will spend $109,920 on an agreement with ODOT to rebuild East 36th Street from Globe Avenue. The street will qualify for federal highway funding to cover up to 80 percent of the project cost, up

to $458,000.

The span is in South Lorain, represented by Carrion and Ward 5 Councilwoman JoAnne Moon.

“I believe when this repair is done, Councilwoman Moon and myself are going to throw a party, probably in the ditch next to 36th Street,” Carrion quipped, prompting chuckles from those attending.

East 36th Street is a target area for city staff to use federal planning money to design a major facelift that would create an East 36th Street corridor in South Lorain.

The planned 2022 resurfacing is not that project, Carrion said. The city Engineering Department has determined the street needs more immediate repairs to remain serviceable into the next few years, Carrion said.

Lightposts gone

Carrion suggested the

scope of work include removal of unused traffic control poles and booms or mast arms that sit in place even now, after the city removed traffic control lights a few years ago.

The empty poles create the perception of abandonment and population loss, Carrion said.

“You have people leaving so you’re removing traffic lights, which is the opposite,” Carrion said. In fact, Lorain has gained population and rose to become Ohio’s ninth-largest city, according to the 2020 U.S. Census, Carrion said.

Removing the poles is an ongoing process within Lorain’s Public Property Department, said Rick Soto, chief of staff to Mayor Jack Bradley.

Staff are removing poles, masts, control boxes, wires and supports because of that same concern that it doesn’t look good to have the empty poles, he said.