Laurel Road construction to continue in Brunswick

BRUNSWICK — Construction on Laurel Road, the "primary east-west collector route for the southern part of" Brunswick, according to City Engineer Matt Jones, will continue this spring. City Council passed Monday night an emergency resolution approving Phase 3 of the road's reconstruction plan set to begin in April and run through September and improve a portion of the road between Coventry Drive and South Carpenter Road. Jones said in an email Tuesday that due to both the traffic on the road and the age of certain aspects of the road, this continuing project is greatly needed. "It's an important part of the route to and from home for many Brunswick residents," Jones said. "The concrete pavement and drainage system on Laurel had reached the end of its useful life and needed to be rehabilitated and/or replaced depending on the section. "The first two phases involved a complete reconstruction of the most deteriorated section (Pearl to Pinewood). The upcoming third phase will greatly extend the life of the existing concrete by replacing the worst sections and adding an asphalt surface that will both protect the original pavement and provide a smooth ride." The project will be done by Set in Stone Contracting LLC and cost $839,448, less than the estimated cost of $950,000. Jones said the city received six bids, all coming in under the estimate. Bids for this phase of the project opened Jan. 25. Set in Stone submitted the chosen bid March 3. Funding for the project will come from a grant from the Ohio Public Works Commission ($623,000) and from the city's non-levy road improvement fund ($216,448). Set in Stone was the contractor on the city's 2018 and 2019 catch basin repair programs and was the subcontractor on the 2020 asphalt road program. Because Set in Stone is a concrete contractor, Jones said the company will subcontract the asphalt surface work. "This is not at all unusual for projects of this type where both asphalt and concrete work are involved," Jones said. In this phase, the construction will consist of removing and replacing deteriorated concrete slabs and joints and installing a chip seal interlayer and a 3-inch asphalt overlay. Base repairs and casting adjustments will be done as needed. Storm sewer crossovers and curb inlets will be removed and replaced, along with curb ramps and deteriorated sections of the sidewalk. The first two phases each involved the complete removal and replacement of the concrete pavement including the curb and curb inlets. Phase 1 was completed in the summer and fall of 2018, cost approximately $1.1 million, was done by Fabrizi Trucking and Paving and worked on a stretch of Laurel from Pearl Road to Brintnall Drive. Phase 2, which was done in the fall of 2019, continued that work from Brintnall to Pinewood Drive. It cost $850,000 and was done by Perk Co. Jones said, depending on available funds, the city hopes to eventually have a fourth phase in which it would close the gap between Pinewood Drive — finished in Phase 2 — and Coventry Drive — to be finished in Phase 3. He added that "at some point," the city will need to look at the section of Laurel west of Pearl Road. Contact reporter Jack Kopanski at (330) 721-4063 or jkopanski@medina-gazette.com.