Independence seeks NOACA congestion-mitigation grant and advances water-main work ahead of Brecksville Road resurfacing

The Independence City Council on May 13 authorized the mayor to apply for a Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) congestion mitigation and air quality (CMAQ) grant to upgrade traffic signal controllers along the Brecksville Road corridor and directed staff to move forward with engineering to install a water main ahead of a scheduled municipal resurfacing.

Don (city staff) told council the Brecksville Road signal project would cover about 14 signals along the corridor, with a total project cost around $1,550,000. The NOACA program requires a local match; the city is submitting a 50/50 split application to improve its scoring though the program may fund up to 80 percent of eligible items. The grant cycle covers planning years beginning in 2026 and extends into construction scheduled between 2027 and 2030, so NOACA funding would not require immediate local expenditure.

Separately, staff presented a plan to use an existing consultant contract (GPD Group) and issue a change order so design work for a Brecksville Road water main replacement can proceed immediately. City staff said Brecksville Road is scheduled for resurfacing soon and the goal is to design and, if possible, construct at least one segment of the water main before resurfacing to avoid re-cutting new pavement. Staff said earlier GPD design work for Brookside had reached about 75 percent and could be repurposed to accelerate the Brecksville design.

Council members raised questions about funding splits, the list of eligible items under ODOT urban resurfacing (which limits which costs ODOT will participate in), and whether upgrading controllers would itself solve traffic-flow issues related to anticipated business growth and bridge re-openings. Staff said controller upgrades extend equipment life (20–30 years) and are not a substitute for corridor reconfiguration; they recommended a separate traffic study or fresh traffic counts after bridge reopening.

Staff also reported a preliminary estimate of roughly $4.8–$5.0 million for the city’s stretch of road improvement and noted that while ODOT might contribute about 80 percent of eligible pay items, many of the city’s required scope items (approximately 35 of 40 line items) are ineligible for ODOT participation, reducing the effective coverage. Council discussed lead service lines on Brecksville Road and whether trenchless lining or boring methods would address individual lead service connections; staff said some service connections could be reinstated via trenchless methods but full replacement of lateral connections would typically require excavation at the service lateral.

Council placed the NOACA application on the consent agenda for approval and authorized moving forward with change-order work with GPD to advance water-main design to meet resurfacing timelines and further analysis of funding options with ODOT.