Committee approves one-block extension into Cleveland to connect Lee Road waterline

The Cuyahoga County Public Works Procurement and Contracting Committee voted to report Resolution 20250335, which amends a prior authorization to extend the Lee Road (Lehi Row) reconstruction project one block farther south into the City of Cleveland to connect an existing waterline and accommodate differences in pavement width.

Eric Mack of the Department of Public Works said design work showed the waterline needs to connect into the next manhole, requiring the extension of approximately 340 feet from Invermere Avenue to Throckley Avenue. Mack described the added block as a temporary condition: the county will install an asphalt wearing layer (a 3-inch mill-and-fill) for that segment now, and a subsequent Cleveland project — planned to be sold in 2027 and constructed afterward — will complete a permanent full-depth replacement and a new multi-use trail.

Mack said the project funding split remains 80% federal, 10% and 10% local sponsors, and that the change will not alter the total project cost. He explained that the county tries to avoid ripping up a recently completed road by coordinating utility work and that the contingency included in the construction estimate is intended to cover this temporary work (the contingency was discussed in the meeting at roughly $1,000,000 to $1,500,000). Committee members asked about schedule overlap with the Cleveland portion, materials for the temporary surface and potential future pavement removal where the bike trail will be installed; Mack said parts of the temporary pavement will be removed where the bike trail is added but other portions can remain.

The committee moved the resolution forward and approved suspension of further readings for a second-reading suspension. The chair announced the motion carried by voice vote with "Ayes have it."