The city of Columbus will work with Strand Associates, Inc. on road improvement projects on the city’s north and west sides.
The Columbus Board of Works voted Tuesday to approve a contract with the firm for construction engineering on a project widening Lowell Road from County Road 200W to U.S. 31, with city engineer Andrew Beckort saying the work will be bid out in December. The contract has a not-to-exceed amount of $355,000.
The city previously engaged Strand for initial engineering and design on the project, as well as landscape design for a proposed roundabout at Lowell Road and County Road 200W.
The board also voted to amend Strand’s contract on improvements along County Road 350W from Goeller Road to State Road 46 and Goeller Road from Oakbrook Drive to County Road 350W.
“This is an increase of approximately $30,000 to get the project done a little faster and be shovel-ready,” said Beckort. “It’s not scheduled to bid until 2028, but we want it ready 2026 in case funding is available.”
The updated contract amount is $700,869. Other changes in the amended agreement include:
- Changing the estimated term of the contract from July 1, 2024 to Dec. 31, 2028
- Adding “reconduct wetland delineation field work and above-ground field work” to Strand’s scope of work
- Changing the completion deadline for stage three plans on the roadway design from a 2021 date to a 2026 date
Beckort said planned improvements for Goeller Road include widening where necessary, curb and gutter, a shared use path on one side of the road and a sidewalk on the other. Similar improvements are planned for County Road 350W.
The city is also considering potential roundabouts at the east intersection of Tipton Lakes Boulevard and Goeller, and 350W and Goeller.
The current plan is to split the work on Goeller and 350W into two projects but have the design grouped together, Beckort said. He believes Goeller will come first, with 350W being worked on the following year, but added that this timeline is subject to change.
Both the Lowell Road improvements and the work on Goeller and 350W are federally funded projects, with 80% paid by the federal government and 20% paid by the city.
This includes the engineering and design contracts with Strand, with the exception of the landscape design on the Lowell Road roundabout, which is being paid for with local dollars, he said.
