By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green’s street paving program will be moving out into the neighborhoods in 2020. After the major focus on downtown streets and the Interstate 75 interchange the last couple years, the city plans to invest money on side streets.
“We’re moving back into the neighborhoods,” City Council President Mike Aspacher said Monday evening during a meeting on the city’s 2020 budget.
And thanks to the state gas tax increase, the city will have $400,000 more next year to put toward street work, said Municipal Administrator Lori Tretter. That will add up to about $600,000 total to be dedicated to paving streets.
“We are very pleased,” Tretter said. “We know there has been deferred paving on many streets.”
And just like any structure, delaying maintenance adds up to growing expenses, she said.
“Deferring maintenance leads to a really big list of roads that need paved,” Tretter said.
Council member Greg Robinette said the opportunity to do more paving with the additional gas tax funds will help.
“We appreciate this greatly,” he said.
Roads under consideration for paving in 2020 are:
- Thurstin Avenue
- Pike Street
- Flanders Avenue
- South Church Street, from Pearl to Sand Ridge
- Meeker Street
- Clay Street
- East Gypsy Lane Road, east of Interstate 75
Future projects, already funded, are:
- East and West Wooster Street (funded by ODOT)
- South Main Street (funded by TMACOG)
- Roundabout at East Wooster and Campbell Hill Road (TIP funding)
Future projects, needing funding:
- North and South Maple Street
- Buttonwood Avenue
- East Evers Street
- East and West Court Street
- East and West Washington Street
- South Grove Street
- Clough Street
- Meeker Street
- Clay Street
- East Gypsy Lane Road
- Wood Bridge Business Park
- Mitchell Road
- North Main Street, from mall to Dayspring Church
- Sand Ridge Road
- Lambert Avenue
- Coleman, Ash and Birch
- Quail Hollow
- The Village
- Champagne
- Muirfield
