MANSFIELD — The Mansfield Board of Control on Tuesday awarded a $201,932 contract to K.E. McCartney & Associates to design a $1.7 million connector between the B&O Bike Trail and Trimble Road.
City engineer Bob Bianchi said the original estimate was between $160,000 and $170,000 to design a 1.25-mile, 10-foot wide multi-use path.
“But after looking at all the environmental regulations and all the federal regulations associated with using federal dollars, the design fee went up. The environmental work alone was $40,000,” he said.
Bianchi said it would take up to two years to complete the design of the connector, which will link the 18.4-mile trail to one of the city’s main corridors.
“I’m hoping it’ll be sooner, but that’s dependent on the property acquisition,” he said.
The project includes surveying, design, environmental and right-of-way services for the connector.
Mansfield City Council on Aug. 16 approved spending $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the project. Richland County Commissioners committed another $500,000 and the state’s capital budget approved earlier this year included another $150,000 for the connector.
Bianchi told council members in August he believes another $600,000 for the project will come from the Richland County Regional Planning Commission, a thought he repeated on Tuesday.
The engineer told control board members that $25,694 from the design work could be paid from city sewer funds since they involve water drainage and culvert work.
Mansfield Bike Trail Connection Project
After the meeting, Bianchi said the design for the connector will include a “rectangular, rapid flashing beacon” when it crosses over Trimble, a four-lane road in the selected area.
“It’s the same crossing installation that was installed at Diamond Street near the (Richland County) courthouse,” he said.
“We will also, of course, have a crosswalk going across the street. Someday, we anticipate potentially a signal being installed at that intersection (depending on usage and other variables),” Bianchi said.
