City reports progress on High Street, Winchester Boulevard roundabout, East Waterloo storm sewer and McGill Phase 2B

Canal Winchester public‑works officials reported July 7 that several major capital projects are progressing, with schedules that will affect traffic and construction activity in coming weeks.

Construction Director Bill Sims told the council the High Street center‑intersection logo installation is delayed pending materials and likely won’t be installed for about three weeks. Gender Road Phase 6 is “mostly complete” but remains open for punch‑list and ODOT bridge items. Sims said the headworks replacement at the wastewater plant is well underway, with a planned relocation of the main power for the influent building described as “one of the more disruptive events” in the schedule.

Sims said the street program is moving from concrete work to milling and paving; milling is slated to begin the week following the meeting, with a week of paving to follow. Hemmingford Drive will be partially reconstructed this year after the city reallocated extra street program funds; gas companies are currently lowering services to allow the work.

On Winchester Boulevard — where the city is building a roundabout — Sims said crews are relocating utilities and expect to shift traffic onto temporary pavement “first of next week.” He said that shift will begin a 90‑day clock tied to the phase‑one construction for returning traffic to the new roundabout, though final street lighting may not be installed until later in the year because of long lead times for poles.

Sims reported that bids opened for Green Gate Boulevard that evening with Strauser Construction as the low bidder. He also described the East Waterloo storm‑sewer relocation as in design and noted the city will need access agreements with adjacent property owners to relocate drain lines.

Development Director Lucas Hare said McGill Phase 2B is still in design; landscaping and topsoiling were nearly complete at the site visited by council, and the library parcel is expected to pave its parking lot the week following the meeting. Hare and Sims told councilmembers they will bring finalized McGill plans to the first council meeting in August.

The council pressed for details on an Ashbrook cul‑de‑sac drainage problem. Sims described the planned replacement of two side‑by‑side pipes with a single larger box structure (about 5 by 8 feet) intended to accept stormwater from an adjacent farm field and said construction is intended this fall.

The city indicated coordination with utilities (gas main lowering at Dylee and Green Gate Drive, and AT&T fiber work on Robinette) is underway and that work is expected to wrap up in short order.

The projects noted are funded through a mix of street‑program allocations, TIF funds, developer contributions and an OPWC grant/loan for the East Waterloo storm project; the council discussed timing and small local matches during the appropriations discussion that followed.