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Youngstown City finance committee advances engineering work for West Avenue Bridge demolition
Summary
The committee reviewed a contract modification to continue engineering and environmental work for the long-closed West Avenue Bridge, with staff citing extensive river-related environmental review, about $606,000 demolition construction estimate and a proposed $120,000 total consultant contract to get through bidding and design.
Charles Shashow of the public works department told the Youngstown City finance committee on March 4 that the city needs to continue primary engineering and extensive environmental work to demolish the West Avenue Bridge, a structure closed to traffic for decades.
“This will get us through the bidding process,” Shashow said, describing a proposed modification to the existing consultant contract. He said the city budgeted for increased engineering work in 2026 because federal funding in prior years covered demolition but not the design work the city must complete to reach bidding.
Shashow said the environmental review is lengthy because the site is in the river and that the demolition (referred to in staff comments as construction value) is currently estimated at about $606,000. He also described a larger figure staff said represents the city’s remaining responsibilities related to the project, noting that the successful bidder would retain rights to any scrap value.
Committee members asked for clarity about funding and whether the city could recover scrap iron. Shashow said scrap value will be realized through the competitive-bid process but will not be reflected as a separate line item in initial bids.
The committee moved to send pending legislation, including the engineering amendment for the bridge, to the full council for consideration. The amendment described in committee would increase the consultant contract to a total of roughly $120,000 to carry the city through detailed design and bidding, with demolition work scheduled after environmental clearance.
Next steps: the item was forwarded to the full council for consideration as part of the package of pending legislation the committee advanced.
