Current Construction Projects
Colony, Hawthorne, Mulberry Underground Primary Electrical Replacement Project
October 6 Update:
Project Status: The project is on schedule.
- Directional boring will continue
- Setting will continue for the transformer foundation.
- Power outages are not expected
What to expect to see: Callihan Electric trucks, equipment and personnel & Leiby Construction trucks, equipment and personnel.
Why have flags been placed in my yard? The small flags are used to mark existing utilities so that they can be avoided during the construction of this project.
Can I remove the flags from my yard? No, the flags need to remain in place until the crews have finished working. When a crew finishes work in an area, they will no longer need the flags and will remove them.
What should I do if I have medical equipment that can’t be without power? If this applies to you, please contact us at 440-775-7260. We can make arrangements to accommodate your needs when an outage is required at your residence.
FAQs
Why is this project taking place?
The electrical system in the area is old and in need of replacement. The conduits that house the primary electrical cables are in poor condition and should a cable fail, it would be very difficult to replace it to restore power.
What is being replaced?
The primary electrical cables and the transformers that feed power along the affected streets. The current system is part of the older 4160/2400V system which is being phased out. The new system will be part of the 12,470/7200V system, the same as most of the city.
What will remain of the existing system?
The individual residential services to each house will remain. These secondary voltage (120/240V) services are in good condition and replacing them would make the project more complicated and far more expensive for both the city and the homeowners.
How will the work be done?
Most of the new conduit will be installed by directional boring. This means that far less yards will need to be excavated although some open-air trenches will still be required at certain locations. Those locations may be the start and stop of a directionally bore, the location of a transformer or an area that simply cannot be directionally bored for various reasons.
Will damage to my yard be repaired?
Yes, any damage to lawns related to this project will be repaired at the completion of the project.
Will there be any traffic concerns?
Traffic concerns will be kept to a minimum. The directional boring will minimize any need to block the street of normal traffic. Overall, there should not be a serious inconvenience to normal traffic.
Will power outages be required?
Yes, at some point every house in the area will need to have a power outage to be converted to the new system. The duration of these outages will vary but efforts will be made to keep them to a minimum. Power outages will be communicated to homeowners in advance so that they can plan accordingly.
When will the project begin?
Utility locates have already been taking place, construction is set to begin on September 15th.
What is the expected duration of the project?
The project is expected to be completed by the end of the year but could extend longer depending on any unforeseen circumstances.
Who should we contact if we have questions?
Oberlin Municipal Light and Power System (OMLPS) Administrative office
289 S. Professor St, Oberlin OH 44074
Penny Downs, Administrative Assistant
Phone: 440-775-7260
Email: pdowns@cityofoberlin.com
East Vine Street Bridge Replacement
May 30, 2025
The City has received a Municipal Bridge Program grant of $788,674 from ODOT to replace the East Vine St. Bridge over Plum Creek. We have been working with our design engineer, American Structurepoint and with ODOT since July, 2023 to develop detailed drawings, the right-of-way plans and detour plans for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. The project includes the complete replacement of the bridge including the downstream abutment, wing-walls, deck, pavement, approach, sidewalk, handrail, relocation of utilities, and bank stabilization. The new bridge will be a single span composite box beam structure with cast-in place footings, abutments, wingwalls and pre-stressed concrete box beams.
American Structurepoint uploaded the final Plans, Specifications & Estimate to ODOT’s site on February 3, 2025. ODOT certified the right-of-way on February 15th. On March 31st, ODOT confirmed that we received Federal Authorization to go to bid. The bid was advertised on April 5th, 12th and 19th. Bids were opened on April 28th. On May 19th, by Ordinance 25-27, City Council authorized the bridge replacement contract with D2 Excavating, LLC of Vickery, Ohio in the not to exceed amount of $2,035,057.00.
During construction, East Vine St. will be closed at Plum Creek between South Main (SR58) and South Pleasant St. The anticipated Notice to Proceed date is June 9, 2025. The planned final completion date for construction is November 21st. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please contact the Public Works Department at 440-775-7218.
East Vine St. Bridge, looking upstream
Projects in Design
South Pleasant Street Bridge Replacement
May 30, 2025
The City has also received a Municipal Bridge Program grant from ODOT, up to $818,340, to replace the South Pleasant St. Bridge over Plum Creek. We have been working with our design engineer, Schaffer, Johnston, Lichtenwalter & Associates and with ODOT since April, 2022 to develop detailed drawings, the right-of-way plan and detour plans for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.
In the summer of 2023, we discovered an issue with the proposed right-of-way plan. ODOT had confirmed that the City had used federal Land and Water Conservation Fund money in 1973 for the construction of the basketball courts and related amenities in the adjacent Park St. Park. This funding source is subject to the requirements of Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act of 1966, which affords protection to publicly owned parks, recreation areas, and wildlife and waterfowl refuges. Use of federal monies required dedication of the park (as it was then constituted) in perpetuity. We re-considered the bridge ‘footprint’ to eliminate the park impact. This would have required extensive re-design of the bridge abutments and wingwalls notwithstanding the sanitary sewer main (which was already in/under the park). Significant impacts on the adjoining property were also anticipated. Since re-design was not a feasible solution, staff has been working on the substitution of the vacant 0.3125 acre parcel at 66 South Park, adjacent to Park St. Park on the south side of Plum Creek, for the 0.105 acre of additional right-of-way we need for the bridge. Although it has taken a long time, ODOT District 3 staff have been very helpful working through this. Information has been sent by the City, through District 3 to ODOT’s Office of Environmental Service Columbus where they have worked with their Ohio Department of Natural Resources counterparts. ODNR staff has been in communication on our behalf with National Park Service personnel. Feedback from NPS is funneled back down through ODNR to ODOT to City staff. We received all of the necessary permissions and the environmental review was approved on February 13, 2025. With approval, SJL has released their acquisition consultant to acquire permanent right-of-way and temporary easements from adjoining property owners for this project. The Stage 3 plans were submitted on May 21, 2025. Construction is currently planned from spring/summer, 2026. If you have any questions, please contact the Public Works Department at 440-775-7218.
South Pleasant Street Bridge, looking upstream
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State Route 58 South Multi-Use Path
May 30, 2025
In June, 2023, City Council authorized a $197,070 contract with the Environmental Design Group (EDG) to design a new multi-use path on the west side of SR58 from Hamilton St., south to US20 and west on the north side of US20 to connect to the public sidewalk running from Wendy’s to Walmart. This SR58 Active Transportation Improvement Project will provide a safe route for pedestrians and cyclists to access retail destinations in southern Oberlin. Since the project is partly located in New Russia and Pittsfield townships and in the ODOT right-of-way, we’re working with multiple stakeholders in developing the plan. Both ODOT and City staff have reviewed the 50% plans and EDG is working on the 90% plan set.
In order to proceed, it is necessary to acquire both temporary and permanent easements from adjoining property owners. Working with Law Director Jon Clark, staff has finalized (10) of the (13) required temporary construction easements and (2) of (6) permanent easements. Discussions and negotiations continue with the affected property owners with a goal of going to bid this summer for fall construction.
For more information, please Click Here to view the Public Works Department’s May 6, 2024 presentation to Oberlin City Council.
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Park and East Vine Resurfacing Project
May 30, 2025
In September, 2024, City Council authorized the Public Works Department to submit and Ohio Public Works Commission Round 39 project application to resurface Park St., from East Lorain to East Vine and East Vine St., from South Park to the East Vine St. bridge. The total project cost estimate is $487,114. We requested and have been recommended for a $248,000 grant equal to 50.90% of the project cost. Our local match (not including in-kind expenses) is $235,830, primarily from the Income Tax Capital Improvement Fund #112 with $12,960 from the Stormwater Reserve Fund.
September 19, 2025
On July 7th, City Council awarded the construction contract for the Park and East Vine Resurfacing Project to Crossroads Asphalt Recycling, Inc. in the amount of $386,614.20. They plan to on or after Monday, September 29th. The first phase of the work will be milling off the existing asphalt. We’ll inspect the road base to determine required base repairs. This first phase will only take a few days. According to their schedule, Crossroads will then resurface the street with the 1 ¾” asphalt intermediate course only. This should be complete in a day. Concrete work will follow during the week of October 6th. We plan to replace about 500’ of failing concrete curb. We will also reconstruct sidewalks and curb ramps at the East Vine/South Park intersection to develop an accessible crosswalk across South Park. The concrete work should take about three weeks. Once complete, Crossroads will place the pavement overlay fabric, followed by 1 ½” asphalt surface course. Pavement markings including crosswalks, stop bars, and sharrows on Park St. will be placed in thermoplastic for enhanced durability. Once the pavement markings are cured, an asphalt rejuvenator will seal the surface course. This last phase of the work, including punch list items and final clean-up should take an additional 2 weeks or so. Crossroads’ plans to finish the work by mid-November.
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Please drive safely through all work zones!
Thank you for your continued patience!
For questions regarding any City construction project, please contact the Public Works Department at 440-775-7218.