Cuyahoga County public works committee advances Lee Road, Lakefront and Parma road projects; awards design and resurfacing contracts

Cuyahoga County’s Public Works Procurement and Contracting Committee on Jan. 22 moved several road projects forward, approving design and contract awards and authorizing expedited right-of-way work so property negotiations can begin.

Chair opened the meeting and, after a roll call that showed a quorum, the committee unanimously approved minutes from its Nov. 20, 2024 meeting and then took up project items. Janine read Resolution 20250033, which declares public convenience and welfare requires reconstruction of Lee Road from Invermere Avenue to Miles Road in Cleveland. "This is step 1 of a project," said Nicole English of the county Public Works Department, explaining the county’s role: execute an agreement with the city, run the design and then oversee construction. English said the county will contribute $1,000,000 toward the Cleveland segment.

English described the Cleveland segment as roughly 1.1 miles with a pavement-condition rating of 58 (fair to poor) and said it carries just under 20,000 vehicles per day. She said the aim is a multimodal street that accommodates walking and biking and that Cleveland will lead design choices affecting businesses and residents. On funding, English said the county expects a mix of NOACA-administered federal funds (CMAQ, STBG and transportation enhancement funds), a likely State Infrastructure Bank loan, and a smaller highway-safety grant from ODOT. She told the committee federal requirements will govern construction contracting and that federal DBE rules (around 8% historically) will apply; county diversity goals will apply to design work.

The committee voted to refer the Lee Road resolution for a second reading.

The panel then considered Resolution 20250034 for right-of-way exhibits tied to the Lake Road/Clifton Boulevard reconstruction between Linda Street and Webb Road in Lakewood. Jessica French, land deputy in the Cuyahoga County Department of Public Works, said the project would reduce travel lanes from two in each direction to one in each direction and add a continuous north-side shared-use path. French said no permanent property takings are needed but the county requires 13 temporary easements estimated at about $50,000 to be paid from road-and-bridge funds. She asked the committee to suspend the usual second-reading timing so staff can begin outreach to affected property owners; the committee approved that suspension.

Next, the committee approved Resolution 202535, awarding design services for the Shaker Heights portion of Lee Road to Chagrin Valley Engineering, not to exceed $640,150. English said four firms responded to the RFQ (scores: 82, 80, 69, 63) and Chagrin Valley ranked highest. Cleveland subsequently chose to attach its segment to the Shaker Heights design; English said the county will return with an amendment to expand the contract to cover the full corridor. On design diversity goals, she said the firm committed to meeting county goals of 19% SBE, 8% MBE and 3% WBE for the design work.

Finally the committee addressed Resolution 202536, an award not to exceed $2,756,758.25 for resurfacing Snow Road (Ridge Road to State Road) in Parma. English said the federally funded NOACA project received six bids and that PERC was the low bidder, roughly 2.2% under the engineer’s estimate. She said the funding split is approximately 76% federal, 12% county and 12% Parma, an 8% DBE goal applies, and the corridor (about 1.26 miles) was last resurfaced in 2009. Committee members praised the bidding climate; the item was referred for its next meeting.

The committee concluded with no miscellaneous business.

Votes at a glance - Resolution 20250033 (Lee Road, Cleveland) — Motion to refer for second reading: approved (committee recorded "Ayes have it"). - Resolution 20250034 (Lake Road/Clifton Blvd. right-of-way exhibits) — Second-reading suspension and referral approved to allow prompt property-owner outreach. - Resolution 202535 (Design award to Chagrin Valley Engineering, Shaker Heights Lee Road) — Award approved (amount not to exceed $640,150); amendment expected to add Cleveland segment. - Resolution 202536 (Snow Road resurfacing; PERC low bidder) — Award authorized not to exceed $2,756,758.25; referred to next meeting.

What to watch next The committee will return with a contract amendment to include the Cleveland segment in the Lee Road design contract and with subsequent construction contracts and right-of-way acquisition details; Jessica French said property acquisition for the Lake Road/Clifton Boulevard project is expected to finish by late summer 2025 with construction beginning in early 2026.