MOUNT VERNON — Of the $16.9 million the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is providing to help fund road reconstruction or maintenance, the City of Mount Vernon will get $2 million.
The money will help cover the cost of improving Edgewood Road between East High Street and Gambier Road (Ohio 229). The project includes installing curb and gutter, storm sewer work, water and sanitary line replacement, and a sidewalk on the west side.
Crews will also line up the road with Vine Street and improve the intersection at High Street.
“Edgewood Road is in extremely poor condition,” City Engineer Brian Ball said. “It’s very difficult for our crews to maintain the street and water lines. We’ve had significant water line breaks. The last one was in December, when we had more than 200 hours of overtime dealing with that break and others.”
Additionally, the pavement condition rate is 73 (out of 100).
“That part [of the road] is in failure. The ditches are problematic,” Ball said. “The goal is to reconstruct it with a smoother, more uniform driving surface, curbs and gutters.”
Although ODOT lists the project as widening Edgewood, Ball said the road is not really going to get wider.
“The plan is to add a sidewalk on the west side — not a bike path — so we’ll probably shift the road slightly to the east to make room,” he explained, adding that the project includes vegetative barriers to create separation between the road and homes.
Timeline
Mount Vernon City Council’s 2023 budget package included a line item to study Edgewood Road. Ball will ask council to appropriate money for design services in its 2024 budget.
The design phase will encompass 2024-25. The goal is to award the bid in October 2026 and start construction in January 2027.
Ball said that although ultimately the thought is to route traffic from Coshocton Avenue to Ohio 229 via Upper Gilchrist and Ohio Eastern Star roads, that project is long-term.
“We have to take action. People are getting their cars damaged by the condition of [Edgewood] Road,” he said. “The road is so uneven we couldn’t keep the street plate bolted to the road.
“The intersection of High Street is poor and unsafe. We are going to be reshaping that intersection to make it safer,” he added.
Ball noted that people’s driving behavior on Edgewood Road south of Gambier Road is much better than north of Gambier. When the city completes the improvement project, drivers will basically have the same road conditions as south of Gambier:
•Asphalt road
•Concrete curb and gutter
•Concrete sidewalk
•Modern drainage
“We’re going from a relic county road to a modern city street that can handle city traffic,” he said.
ODOT grants
Part of Edgewood Road is inside the city; part is in the county. The funding for the improvements comes from ODOT’s Small City Program. The program provides funding for road, safety, or signal projects on certain routes within municipalities with a population between 5,000 and 24,999.
ODOT will provide up to 95% of the eligible costs for construction and construction inspection only.
“These small-city projects are of big importance to the communities receiving these grants, and we are happy to help our local governments with the cost of these necessary roadway improvements,” said Gov. Mike DeWine in a press release announcing the grants.
“The Small City Program is a big boost to our local municipal partners who, like ODOT, have a responsibility to keep their roads and bridges in good order,” said ODOT Director Jack Marchbanks.
ODOT accepts applications from eligible municipalities each year starting May 1 and ending June 15. A committee with a background in funding and program management, environmental, engineering, and crash data and safety analysis the applications.
ODOT’s Small City Program is currently funded at $10.5 million annually.
