Sunbury wins OPWC funding and outlines 2026 street-improvement plan, eyes $2M ODOT safety grant

The Sunbury City Services Committee on March 4 confirmed the city was awarded Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) funds for the Cherry Street at South Moving Street curve project and discussed how that award fits into a broader 2026 street-improvement program.

Carla, a city staff member who presented the updates, said the OPWC application requested $80,000 plus a $20,000 loan and that "the overall, estimated cost is just over 120,000." She told the committee the city’s application scored in the top five of applicants, an improvement from previous cycles when Sunbury narrowly missed funding.

Why it matters: The OPWC award will help pay for curb and sidewalk work at the Lady Liberty quadrant and other ADA-compliance improvements tied to the JAR Smith Park project. Staff said the city plans to bundle the successful OPWC work into the broader street-improvement bid to get better pricing and schedule work efficiently.

The committee also reviewed the street-improvement map and a proposed lane reconfiguration just north of the McDonald’s–Wendy’s intersection. Carla said the plan would add a fourth lane by narrowing three lanes to 11 feet and leaving the curb-adjacent lane at 12 feet, allowing the change to be implemented by restriping rather than curb removal. "So that's the portion just north of that intersection that we're looking to improve," she said.

Traffic calming features are part of the plan. Staff recommended painted chicanes on North Miller Drive and East/West Granville Street and suggested trialing the configuration with cones before permanent striping. "The nice thing about paint is you can move it fairly easily," Carla said, adding that paint is usually the last item installed and that any adjustments are inexpensive once plans are finalized.

The committee heard that Advanced Civil Design is the consultant on this project; staff told members that paint-based changes for bike lanes versus parking on Granville can be adjusted in the contract without large cost impacts. Two streets marked as alternates will be included in the bid package only if competitive pricing allows; otherwise they will be prioritized for a later plan.

Staff noted a separate ODOT safety-fund application is due March 31. Carla said the city intends to request the $2,000,000 maximum for pedestrian and multimodal improvements tied to the 37 widening project, including a 10-foot shared-use path, a 7-foot sidewalk, striping and rectangular rapid-flash beacons.

The city hopes to advertise the street-improvement package for bid within about two weeks and expects paint and final striping work to occur late in the summer construction season.

What’s next: Staff will finalize plans, gather clearer retaining-wall visuals for committee feedback, and proceed with the bid package and ODOT safety-fund application.