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West Milton council leans to limited milling on SR 48, avoiding costly micro-seal
Summary
Council discussion focused on options for addressing deteriorating pavement on State Route 48: micro-seal (~$95,000), full mill-and-pave (~$109,000–$110,000) or limited milling of high spots (~$15,000). Staff recommended targeted milling now and allowing ODOT to perform full paving in fiscal year 2028.
Ben, a town staff member, told the council that Ohio Department of Transportation plans list Miami State Route 48 (through West Milton) for paving in fiscal year 2028, with work typically scheduled between June and August of that fiscal year. He said estimates for local options varied widely: a targeted micro-seal for the worst spots would run about $95,000, a full mill-and-pave about $109,000–$110,000, while simply milling the high, rough spots could be about $15,000.
"Micro sealing it for that amount just seems really high," Ben said, adding that micro-seal on that stretch is rated for about seven to nine years and that material and fuel price increases pushed the quote up. He said switching from 16 lb/sq ft to 22 lb/sq ft on the busiest stretches raised the liquid micro-seal cost significantly.
Council members weighed trade-offs. Several said the road is worsening and would likely need a permanent fix, but that paying roughly $110,000 now for a mill-and-pave could be wasteful if ODOT follows through on its scheduled district project in 2028. Council discussion repeatedly noted the risk that if the village repaves soon, ODOT might omit West Milton from its project because the pavement would be relatively new when the state performs its work.
On balance, council favored the lower-cost, targeted approach: ask the contractor to mill the high spots now to smooth the roadway and get a precise estimate for that limited work, then allow ODOT’s larger project to provide a longer-term surface. Staff said the targeted milling could be performed when the contractor is in town for other village paving in August and that the village remains below budget for paving this year, making the option financially feasible.
Next steps: staff will obtain firm quotes to mill the high spots and proceed with scheduling if the numbers align with the $15,000 estimate; council directed staff to follow up with ODOT’s schedule and to consider the potential for repair/patch costs if milling reveals soft spots.
