West Elm Street from Woodlawn Avenue to Cable Road

In the spring of 2012 expect to see orange barrels appear along West Elm Street, while the City of Lima upgrades the thoroughfare from Woodlawn Avenue to Cable Road.  Currently, the roadway characteristics, crash history, and existing maintenance requirements render Elm Street substandard for current as well as future needs.  The project was identified as a community need in the 1994 Strategic Plan; although, previous efforts were made by the City to fund the project, it was unable to do so until now.  This City of Lima street improvement project is being undertaken in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Lima-Allen County Regional Planning Commission (LACRPC). The current total project costs is estimated at about $2 million with Surface Transportation Program (STP) and Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) funds accounting for about $1.2 million, and the remainder coming from local funds.   

Elm Street has a long storied history in the City of Lima.  Originally constructed nearly 100 years ago, it was designed to accommodate vehicles and traffic volumes of that era.  Even though the street has subsequently undergone many resurfacing and repair projects, as recently as spot repairs in 2010, the street must be upgraded to meet current demands.   In 1994, Elm Street was improved east of Woodlawn with curbs and sidewalks; the current Elm Street project will complete the upgrade of the thoroughfare through the City of Lima to Cable Road.  The section of Elm Street west of Cable Road is maintained by the Allen County Engineer's Office.

 The "new" Elm Street will be a two-lane roadway with 12-foot lanes, one 12-foot parking lane and/or 12-foot left turn lane at selected intersections, and 5-foot sidewalks that meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as well as curbs and gutters.  St. Charles School at the intersection of Elm Street and Cable Road currently has no adjacent sidewalks, but when the project is complete will have sidewalks along Elm Street.  These new sidewalks will connect with the new sidewalks constructed during the summer of 2011 along Cable Road from Elm Street to University Boulevard, providing safe school access for both West Elementary and St. Charles schools, improving connectivity to the surrounding neighborhoods for students and residents alike.

 The goals of the project are to provide:

• pedestrian facilities for safe routes to school and enhance livability of neighborhood;
• on-street parking to compensate for resident provided stoned parking areas;
• minimize and balance right-of way impacts between the need to provide a public transportation system of appropriate capacity, while respecting the existing neighborhood and keeping costs to a minimum;
• a pavement section with a structural value which meets the roadway's loading;
• a smooth riding surface to reduce noise and vibration;
• a roadway that requires less maintenance throughout its useful life;
• safe and efficient roadway for the traveling public; and
• improved storm water removal. 

The LACRPC will track the progress of the Elm Street project at this site.  You can click on this link to read the  Purpose & Need Statement as well as the Detailed Construction Drawings.   When construction begins in the Spring of 2012, construction photos will be posted.

 Comments?

Before Construction Photos