Elyria seeks state contract for resurfacing on state Route 57, Abbe Road North

ELYRIA — The city is seeking to enter into a contract with the state to carry out a joint repaving project on two of Elyria's main roadways this summer. City Council is set to vote on whether to approve a contract with the Ohio Department of Transportation to resurface portions of state Route 57 and Abbe Road North, after the Finance Committee voted to recommend the contract on Monday. The total cost of the project will be about $4 million, with Elyria set to contribute $1.5 million, City Engineer John Schneider said on Monday. He said that the project would include the resurfacing of state Route 57 from Chestnut Ridge Road to Cleveland Street, a distance of about 2.5 miles, and the resurfacing of Abbe Road North from its intersection with Route 57 to the Sheffield border. Schneider said that both of these repaving projects would mill and replace only the top level of pavement, only doing deeper repairs where they may be necessary. "Because this is only an inch and a half, roughly, of paving, they plan on doing it this summer," Schneider said Monday. "It should be done pretty quick because it is not a large amount of asphalt going down. The way they structure the contract is, essentially, to do it within a three-month period to try and do it during the summertime while school is out, so Abbe Road won't be torn up while Northwood (Middle School) is in session." In addition to the road itself, Schneider said that the project would also include renovations and upgrades of curbs, curb ramps, crosswalks, guardrails and pedestrian signals. The city also has plans to update sidewalks and pedestrian crossings in the area, but Schneider said that project would not be carried out until "sometime next year." The city and the state are splitting the costs of the road repaving, with the city covering 20 percent, but there are some additional parts of the project that the city is covering itself, such as the guardrails and the road paint that will be used. Because asphalt is made largely of crude oil, and oil prices have climbed since the U.S. began strikes on Iran this month, Councilman Phil Tollett, D-at Large, asked Schneider if increased asphalt prices could throw a wrench in the project's funding. "Unfortunately, that is always a possibility," Schneider said. "Originally we were anticipating a roughly 5 percent inflationary number this year. Obviously, asphalt is oil based, so yes, that is a definite possibility. I have not heard anything yet, but later on this year that could be an issue." Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.