Reynoldsburg City Council authorized $222,914 from the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) fund to be used for the engineering and design of the Summit Road reconstruction project April 26.
The project has been in the planning stages for several years, Director of Engineering James Miller said.
The main cause for the project is the development of two new schools, an elementary school and high school. Each is expected to open in late 2011, Miller said.
In addition, he said the road is narrow, the pavement is broken up and it doesn't drain well.
The city had been applying for grants in previous years, but was unsuccessful, he said. Last year, however, the grant application was approved.
The reconstruction would affect 3,000 feet of Summit Road from Firstgate Drive south to the corporation limit, Miller said.
Plans for Summit Road include widening the road to three lanes, installing curbs and gutters, storm sewers, street lighting, a sidewalk on the west side of the road and an 8-foot leisure path on the east side of the road, Miller said.
It would also include eliminating a jog in the road and relocating approximately 1,100 feet of road immediately south of Firstgate Drive.
The Ohio Public Works Commission granted the funding and will reimburse the CIP fund 75 percent of the cost of the project, he explained.
The remaining 25 percent will be financed jointly by the city and the school district.
The school district's participation in the financing of the project is a cost-saving measure, Miller said.
The school district would have spent approximately $800,000 if it were to have developed the infrastructure needed for the new schools without partnering with the city, he added.
By partnering on the redevelopment, the school district is only spending $230,000, he said.
Miller said the city is spending approximately $650,000 on the project. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $3.5 million, he said.
Engineering and design of the project will go from May until November, Miller said. He estimated construction would begin next March and go through November of next year.
