Shaker signs on, clears the decks for the 'other' Van Aken repaving project

SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio -- City Council has approved an "80-20" agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation to resurface 2.6 miles of Van Aken Boulevard.

The two-phase, $4.1 million project will begin this summer at Farnsleigh Road and proceed west to Lee Road in the first year, then continue to the western city limits at South Woodland Road in 2015.

And the schedule will allow the city's contractor to effectively get out of the way of the oncoming reconfiguration of the intersection at Warrensville, Van Aken and Chagrin Boulevard, noted City Public Works Director Bill Boag.

At that point beyond Farnsleigh, Van Aken will become a shopping center driveway and a bus lane turnaround with no through traffic, said City Law Director William Ondrey Gruber, as the intersection is reduced from six legs to four.

With 80 percent project funding from the Northeast Ohio Area Coordinating Agency (NOACA), good for $3.2 million that was approved in late 2011, Shaker still needs to provide a local match of about $820,000.

That 20 percent match has already been appropriated in the city's 2014 Capital Budget, Boag said.

Councilman James Brady noted that the "mill-and-fill" project will address any compliance issues with the Americans with Disabilities Act along Van Aken.

Councilman Tres Roeder added that the city will continue to work with the design firm, DLZ Ohio and the contractor to ensure that the composition of the minimum 3-inch replacement asphalt will have sufficient longevity and durability.

"This has been a challenging winter, resulting in a lot of potholes, and we want to be able to address that future concern as well," Roeder said.

With City Council's approval on Monday (March 24), the work will be classified as a Local Public Agency (LPA) project, providing a legal partnership between the Federal Highway Administration, ODOT and the LPA.

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Shaker signs on, clears the decks for the 'other' Van Aken repaving project