MASSILLON – The prolonged effort to redo Wales Road NE is back on.
Construction on the roadway restarted March 7 with an eye toward an estimated completion date of June 2024, according to City Engineer Greg McCue, who suggested an earlier finish might be in the works.
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“They (Ohio Department of Transportation) could try to get things done by late fall, depending on the weather,” McCue said this week.
The Wales project was put on hold in December by ODOT as a winter safety precaution.
The work is part of a more than $7 million project to resurface and widen a 1.4-mile stretch of Wales Road from Lincoln Way E to Hills and Dales Road NE. The bulk of the effort is grant funded, with the city picking up about $1.4 million. The city’s share is coming out of the Massillon Marketplace tax-increment financing, or TIF, district.
Delays related to equipment and material delivery have slowed the project’s progress in the last year or so.
Water line replacement work is ongoing along much of Wales Road, said McCue, adding that storm drains, catch basins, curbs and sidewalk upgrades are forthcoming.
Kicking off in January 2021, early parts of the project included the removal of several trees along Wales Road, in addition to the relocation of utilities, such as electric, gas and telephone lines.
Reach Steven at steven.grazier@indeonline.com. On Twitter: @sgrazierINDE