Current Construction Projects
Oberlin Depot Park Path & Parking Lot Improvements 2026-03
June 8, 2026
The project involves resurfacing and restriping the entrance and parking lot at Depot Park and reconstructing 456 feet of the 12.5 foot wide bike path. The existing bike path consists of brick pavers on stone. This project will replace 330 feet of the brick pavers with an asphalt path over a compacted stone and recycled glass base. To maintain the historic appearance, existing brick pavers in good condition will be reinstalled in front of the former train station. This is a joint project of the City of Oberlin and the Nord Family Foundation.
City Council awarded the $167,745.45 contract to RMH Concrete & Foundations, Inc. at the May 4, 2026 City Council meeting. We held the pre-construction meeting on May 18th. RMH intends to mobilize and begin the project during the week of June 8th. This section of the North Coast Inland Trail (Donald J. Pease Memorial Bike Path) will be closed during construction. Detour route is immediately north along South St. Access to the parking lot will also be limited. On-street parking is available on South St. and across SR58 at the Oberlin Underground Railroad Center behind McDonalds.
This project is expected to take approximately 2 months to complete with a Final Completion Date of August 21, 2026
2026-04 Forest Street Improvement Project
Forest Street Road Improvement Project
The City of Oberlin will be undertaking roadway and utility improvements along Forest Street. This project is scheduled to improve overall roadway conditions and upgrade underground infrastructure.
Project Overview:
Reconstruction of approximately 2,201 linear feet of roadway. Full-depth removal and replacement of the existing pavement, and underlying brick. Construction of a new 20-foot-wide asphalt roadway with curb and gutter, resulting in a total width of 25 feet.
Utility Work Includes:
Removal and replacement of the sanitary sewer system, including laterals to the right of way. Installation of a new waterline and abandonment of the existing waterline. Storm sewer repairs as needed.
Restoration:
Disturbed areas will be restored, including curb lawns.
Construction Impacts:
Residents can expect temporary road closures, traffic detours, and limited access to driveways during construction. Access for emergency services will be maintained at all times.
Property owners will be notified in advance of any disruptions to water or sewer services. The City appreciates your patience and cooperation during this important infrastructure improvement project.
Project bids are due June 9, 2026 at 10:00am, anticipated “notice to proceed” will be June 25th, 2026, and a final completion date set for November 14, 2026.
City estimated Cost $1,950,871.00
For questions or additional information, please contact:
Public Works Department(440) 775-7218
Lorain & Park / Lorain & Pleasant Street Traffic Signal Improvements
The City’s contractor, The Ruhlin Company, has begun work at the intersections of Lorain & Park and Lorain & Pleasant Street. Oberlin residents can expect ongoing construction for the foreseeable future as crews work to upgrade traffic signals and improve traffic flow in the area.
We kindly ask residents to remain patient and to give the contractor adequate space to work safely.
Electric Line Clearance & Tree Trimming
Beginning Monday, April 13, 2026 Oberlin Residents can expect to see Pennline Tree Service vehicles and personnel throughout the City. Oberlin Light and Power has contracted with Pennline to preform the 2026 Line Clearance and Tree Trimming. Electric Line Clearance and Tree Trimming is necessary to maintain, improve and ensure safe and reliable electric service to Oberlin Residents.
We ask that the public provide Pennlne staff with the space needed to perform the work safely. We will provide updates on where work is taking place as it becomes available.
We appreciate your patience while this work is being preformed.
• • • Work is continuing on the City’s West side and is currently taking place in the Edgemeer Place area • • •
Green Acres Housing Project
The City of Oberlin will be providing water service laterals, sanitary sewer service laterals, stormwater connections and electric utility service for each of the 17 lots that will be stubbed over to the edge of the public right-of-way. Lots are intended to be ‘builder-ready’ for future service connections by the developer. Each site must be developed in substantial conformance with the grading plan. In 2011, the City of Oberlin acquired the former Green Acres Children’s Home site from Lorain County. The property occupies approximately 15 acres with frontage on three major streets – East Lorain Street (S.R. #511), Oberlin Road, and East College Street. The site sits just one mile from Oberlin’s historic downtown business district and the vibrant Oberlin College campus. The site is also comfortably within walking distance of the City’s Industrial Park, a major employment hub. All structures on the site have been demolished and removed, save a single picnic pavilion, which will be incorporated into the new public park on the site.
All utilities—including electric, water, storm, and sanitary sewer—have been completed. Road patching and curb repairs are also finished. The remaining work consists of final grading and site seeding.
2025-07 Municipal Area Parking Lot
June 9, 2026
The parking lot resurfacing project is nearing completion. The lot has reopened and is available for use, with only a few remaining tasks to be finalized, including the installation of new signage and pavement markings for the pedestrian walkway from Pleasant Street to the library.
Colony, Hawthorne, Mulberry Underground Primary Electrical Replacement Project
March 16 Update:
Project Status:
- The contractor, Callihan Electric, is expecting to proceed with the project on Thursday, March 19, 2026 – weather dependent.
- Some customers can expect outages.
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
June 9, 2026
If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please contact the Public Works Department at 440-775-7218.
South Pleasant Street Bridge Replacement 2026-01
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
Projects in Design
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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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.