Painesville Keeps Rolling on Road Progress
Painesville has announced a lineup of roads it will repair for the 2018 construction season as part of the city’s five-year plan for road infrastructure improvement. Roads slated for resurfacing in the coming months include Richmond Street, Walnut Avenue, Pearl Street, Transit Street and design work for West Jackson Street. The city’s road issues have been a high priority for Painesville City Council since the first five-year road levy was passed in 2013.
“The community is upset with the deterioration of the roads and we are working hard to keep progress moving forward. It’s going to take some time, but over the past five years we have made substantial strides and we are on the path for success for the future,” said Painesville City Council President Paul Hach.
Road conditions have been a problem for Painesville City over the past decade. Between 2009 and 2013, the city was only able to dedicate $1.9 million in total road repairs or an average of $393,000 per year. Because of this low investment, road infrastructure became weak and many roads fell into disrepair.
In 2013, the residents of Painesville passed a 5-year levy to contribute $3 million of dedicated funding for the roads. Through grants and a strong five-year plan, the city has completed $8.2 million in road projects over that five-year period, a 316 percent increase in road investment.
“Roads are what is most important to our city right now. I’m very proud of the investment we are making. There is tangible progress on our road plan, but it is our responsibility to communicate the improvements to everyone. We understand the city has not been the best communicator about the improvements that are happening and look forward to improving on our correspondence with our citizens,” said Painesville City Manager Monica Irelan.
Roads that have been repaired in the last four years include Belmont Drive, Courtland Street, East Prospect Street, Elm Street, Erie Street, Fern Drive, Gillett Street, Hillside Drive, Hine Avenue, Levan Drive, Lexington Avenue, Lusard Street, Marion Avenue, Rockwood Drive, North State Street, Parmly Place, Stage Avenue, West Walnut Street, West Washington Street, Williams Street and Wood Street.
The largest project set for 2018 is the waterline replacement and resurfacing of Richmond Street costing an estimated $2.1 million and paid for by the Water Construction Fund, grants and the road levy. The waterline construction is expected to be completed in June, with ODOT running the resurfacing that is scheduled for completion in the fall.
The final phase of Walnut Avenue, from Levan Drive to Mentor Avenue, will be completed in 2018 with a total budget of $606,000. Pearl Street, which received a new waterline in 2017, and Transit Street are budgeted at $185,000 and the design work for resurfacing West Jackson
Street is budgeted at $112,000. Jackson Street will be resurfaced in 2019 using a Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) grant and the Painesville road levy for a combined $1.5 million project.
City Hall and City Council are currently working together on a plan for the next five years, 2019 through 2023, to continue the progress on city roads. The plan is expected to be released in June.