MANSFIELD — Kokosing Construction will resurface 34 miles of Mansfield streets in 2023 at a cost of $6.99 million.
The city’s Board of Control on Tuesday awarded the paving contract to Kokosing, a company founded in Fredericktown now headquartered in Westerville.
City engineer Bob Bianchi, who had officially estimated the work at around $6.7 million, said Kokosing’s bid was about $800,000 lower than the only other bid received.
At that price, the work will cost an estimated $205,588 per mile.
The project, which will resurface about 10 percent of the city’s 321 miles of roads, is largely funded by the voter-approved “Pothole Haters” tax.
City Council approved the project in January.
Bianchi said curb ramp work on roads to be resurfaced where curbs are not now ADA compliant will likely start in April. Street resurfacing will begin in May and will be complete by mid October, he said.
Some smaller parts of the project, such as water-valve adjustments or catch-basin improvements, will be paid for by water or sewer funds, the engineer said.
2023 City of Mansfield road resurfacing plan
During his presentation to City Council in January, Bianchi said each city road that has not been resurfaced in the last five years was given a rating.
Crediting the work of Eli Jordan, project planner in his office, the engineer said all 321 miles were reviewed and examined.
“(Jordan) did a lot of work in the field, put all of this together, worked very hard on it and this is his first year with the city,” Bianchi said. “He has done a great job and this is one of the larger programs that we have.”
The city receives about $3.7 million annually through the 0.25-percent income tax that has assisted with local street repairs for more than three decades.
The four-year tax was approved again by city residents in 2021. It pays for the bulk of the work through the city’s streets fund, though some comes from the water fund and the sewer fund since the work includes water valves and storm sewers.
Bianchi told council this year’s proposal is robust. Typically, the city resurfaces 23 to 25 miles annually.
“We’ve had some additional cash build up in the fund over the years. Typically when we do a program, we have a (deduction) at the end of the year in the contract, so that money goes back into the fund.
“So we have a little bit extra dollars this year to spend and we plan to do so,” Bianchi said in January.
