Middletown City Council is expected to approve the bid at its next meeting on Dec. 7, then construction is scheduled to begin in March 2022 and be completed, weather permitting, in December 2022, according to a presentation Public Works Director Scott Tadych made at Tuesday night’s city council meeting.
The $6.6 million project is being funded by a $4.18 million grant from OKI; $1 million from the sewer fund; $1 million from the water fund; and $450,000 from the storm sewer fund, according to Tadych.
He said the project will upgrade aging infrastructure that is in poor condition by replacing pavement, curb, sidewalk, water main and services, and street lighting. The project will also include rehabilitating the existing combined sewer, traffic calming, technology infrastructure, and other functional streetscape amenities consistent with the city’s downtown Master Plan.
Park benches, bike racks, trash receptacles and 20-foot teardrop street lights will be installed along Central Avenue. The light poles will allow the city to hang banners and flower baskets, Tadych said. There will be a land island in the middle of Central and Tadych said it could be a location for a piece of art in the future.
New signal installations, updated signal timing, and left turn lanes on Central Avenue will be installed at the existing signalized intersections with Verity Parkway and Clinton Street, he said.
In January, city leaders will start to meet with businesses, stakeholders and residents along Central Avenue who will be impacted by the construction and address their concerns, according to Tadych. The city also will place information on residents’ front doors.
The city has engaged with a construction management firm that will include a communications/public relations component, according to city documents. A comprehensive web site will include regular updates, the city said.
Tadych said signs will be erected to direct traffic downtown during the construction.
COST OF CENTRAL AVENUE IMPROVEMENTS
$4,185,000: Federal grant through OKI/ODOT
$1,000,000: Sewer fund
$1,000,000: Water fund
$450,000: Storm sewer fund
$6,635,000: Total estimated construction cost
SOURCE: City of Middletown
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