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Prairie Twp. plans two road improvement projects
Major road construction is expected to begin in Prairie Township next spring. Stantec Consulting is contracted to plan a road and drainage improvement project on Beacon Hill Road, according to Prairie Township Administrator Tracy Hatmaker. Picked from a pool of eight bids, Stantec is expected to have its plans ready by May 16. An estimated $2.3 million worth of construction on Beacon Hill Road will run from Hilliard Rome Road to about 200-feet east of Buena Vista Road, and will also hit the first 100-feet of streets that intersect with Beacon Hill. The second project on Woodlawn Avenue was first considered in 2009. It was put on hold after the township was twice denied funding assistance through the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC). After re-submitting the proposals, funding was granted by the OPWC for both projects in March. The $2.7 million in improvements on Woodlawn Avenue will stretch from West Broad Street south to Sullivant Avenue. Township officials expect Beacon Hill Road and Woodlawn Avenue to undergo simultaneous reconstruction. Existing pavement will be entirely stripped, resurfaced and re-graded, water lines will be replaced and work will be done to curbs, gutters and sidewalks. Both projects should be completed by fall 2013. The projects will be financed with a mix of grants and zero-interest loans provided by OPWC, Hatmaker said. Work to replace aging water lines will be funded and completed by the Franklin County Engineer’s Office. The sidewalk portion of the Woodlawn Avenue will be funded with a $380,000 grant from the National Center for Safe Routes to School, a federal program that seeks to improve child safety on walkways and roads. The trustees are accepting bids from consulting firms for the Woodlawn Avenue project through May 25. The winning bid will be announced at the May 30 meeting.
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