Milford council approves amended ODOT agreement after ADA-related scope cuts to Main and Lila sidewalks

Milford City Council on April 15 adopted an ordinance authorizing the city manager to enter into an amended LPA federal Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) LEHI project agreement that reduces the scope of federally funded pedestrian improvements on Main Street and Lila Avenue.

City Manager Benjamin Gunderson told council the grant and project date back several years and that a recent round of ODOT review removed some sidewalk sections from the federally funded scope after ODOT and the city’s engineer identified portions that did not meet ODOT’s pedestrian-access-route requirements.

Dylan, the city engineer, explained the technical constraint: “pedestrian access route for ADA compliance is 4 feet, minimum 4 feet width,” and said some project segments have right-of-way and utility constraints that create narrower “pinch points.” He added that the federal waiver process covers curb ramps and similar features but, to keep the schedule and avoid funding delays, ODOT removed certain sections from the LEHI project rather than delay the entire grant.

Gunderson said the deletions do not prevent the city from later addressing the omitted sections with local funds or easements: staff and the engineer can design those fixes, but some will require additional right-of-way or property easements along Lila Avenue. He also confirmed lighting is included in the amended scope: “It is included,” he told council, and noted ongoing maintenance costs with Duke Energy would be separate from the construction contract.

Council members and staff cautioned that the ODOT central office’s construction estimate used to set the bidding authorization differs from the city engineer’s estimate. The city engineer said the engineer’s current construction estimate remains near $1,500,000 and that ODOT central-office estimating — used for the bidding authorization — may show a different total; if bids exceed the authorized amount, Gunderson warned council a separate legislative appropriation could be needed.

Council voted unanimously to direct the law director to draft the amended agreement ordinance and to authorize the city manager to execute it. The ordinance (25-350) was adopted on a roll-call vote with all members present voting yes.

Council members discussed whether the city should include concurrent local streetscape work to avoid tearing up new sidewalks later; staff said the city could pursue the omitted pieces using local funds, potentially with the same contractor once mobilized, but easements and right-of-way acquisitions may be necessary in some locations.

The city’s next steps are to finalize the amended agreement with ODOT, proceed with the bidding process under ODOT’s timeline, and return to council if bids come in higher than the amended authorization so the council can consider additional appropriations or scope changes.