North Belleview Drive Culvert Replacement

On the morning of March 20, 2020, heavy rains fell and as a result, the two culverts that carry Possum Run under North Belleview Road were washed out and caused the road above to collapse. City staff responded promptly to assess the damage and close the road.

At the special meeting of City Council on March 27, 2020, City Council authorized the City Manager to enter into a contract with LJB, Inc. for preliminary engineering work. This contract was fully executed on March 31. Once the engineering process is complete to identify the best solution for repair, the project will be put out to bid for construction. 

LJB presented the final design to City Council at their meeting on June 22. The final design will include a single 28 foot span concrete culvert with a six foot rise. The roadway will have additional safety features such as wider berms to the sides of the roadway. The wider berms will also afford space for future sidewalk connections. 

The City was able to apply for Ohio Public Works Commission Emergency Program funding in July. Thankfully we were approved for $325,000 which nearly covers the cost of the $347,000 construction. Construction was delayed a few weeks while the funding was secured as it could not start beforehand. 

Below is the current schedule for the project: 

June 22- Final design presented to City Council. Motion authorizing the City Manager to solicit bids was made. 

June 27 - Notice of solicitation for competitive bids posted.

July 9 - Bid opening

July 13 - Construction contract authorized by City Council to Sturm Construction

July 21 - Notification by Ohio Public Works Commission that Emergency Program funds in the amount of $325,000 will be awarded for the project. 

August 10 - Notice to Proceed issued to contractor and mobilization started onsite

October 31 - Construction must be finalized

Little Sugarcreek Road Assessment

In April 2019 the City contracted with LJB, Inc. to assess Little Sugarcreek Road and its structural stability. In the spring of 2018 and again in the spring of 2019 there were areas where landslides occurred which resulted in structural failure of section of the roadway. These issues were concerning to City officials and an assessment to understand what was happening was necessary. During the assessment the City asked for engineers to look at the possible installation of pedestrian facilities as well.

The engineer's study included looked at a 2600 foot stretch of Little Sugarcreek Road from Franklin Street to Vineyard Way. Engineers conducted soil borings, installed an inclinometer to monitor any changes, developed recommendations and associated preliminary cost estimates.

Council was presented with the findings and recommendations at their August 26, 2019 meeting. The overall recommendation was to install a pier and plug wall type to stabilize the roadway and hill. Three alternatives were presented all with the same wall type. In the end, one recommendation was presented as the chosen option. This option was to install the wall further out which would include enough room for a pedestrian walkway and a railing. To fix the critical 300 foot stretch of road will cost approximately $1,100,000. To address the entire 2,600 foot stretch is estimated at $7,240,000.

The next steps are to conduct further borings along the entire 2,600 foot stretch of roadway to determine the composition of the earth below. Once final depths are understood, better cost estimates can be established. The plan is to include the additional borings in the 2020 annual budget.

The presentation can be found by clicking the link below:

Little Sugarcreek Road Assessment

2020 Paving

The 2020 annual paving program is now complete. Roads paved this year included:

Fowler Drive

Lynlee Drive

Justin Court

Bellemeade Drive

Small portion of Possum Run

Roads will still be accessible during paving but traffic could be delayed.