Middletown’s Central Avenue project awarded to Troy company

A Troy-based company submitted the lowest of the three bids the City of Middletown received to improve .56 miles of Central Avenue between Canal Street and University Boulevard in downtown.

Milcon Concrete Inc.’s bid of $7,671,291.59, which was 6.3% higher that the engineer’s estimate, was approved unanimously approved Tuesday night by city council.

Milcon’s bid was 8.4% lower than the next lowest bid, said City Manager Jim Palenick.

Palenick called the bid award “long awaited” since the city received a grant from the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments three years that was designated for 2022.

Construction is scheduled to begin in March 2022 and be completed, weather permitting, in December 2022, according to a presentation Public Works Director Scott Tadych made earlier at a city council meeting.

The project includes full depth pavement replacement, utility replacements and upgrades (water, sewer and storm sewer), pedestrian upgrades including new sidewalks and enhanced crossings, streetscape improvements such as paver amenity strip with decorative street furnishings including benches, bike racks, trash receptacles, street trees and landscape planters, traffic signal upgrades at Canal Street and Clinton Street intersections and decorative LED street light upgrades.

Tadych said 20-foot teardrop street lights will be installed along Central Avenue and. the poles will allow the city to hang banners and flower baskets. There also will be a land island in the middle of Central and Tadych said it could be a location for a piece of art in the future.

This month, city leaders will start to meet with businesses, stakeholders and residents along Central Avenue who will be impacted by the construction and address their concerns, according to Tadych. The city also will place information about the construction on residents’ front doors.

Tadych said signs will be erected to direct traffic downtown during the construction.

HOW THE PROJECT WILL BE FUNDED

General Capital Fund-OKI Grant: $4,603,874

Water Capital Fund: $1,134,000

Sewer Capital Fund: $1,134,000

Stormwater Capital Fund: $600,000

Auto & Gas Tax Fund: $199,417.59

Total: $7,671,291.59

THE BIDS THE CITY RECEIVED FOR THE PROJECT

Milcon Concrete, Troy: $7,671,291.59

Ford Development Corp., Cincinnati: $8,378,030.90

Sunesis Construction Co., West Chester: $9,823,555