City of Urbana Infrastructure Improvements

Below is a list of recent, current and/or upcoming projects on the engineering docket; please contact the City Engineer at 937-652-4324 if there are any questions or concerns about these.

In 2017 the City of Urbana invested in a third-party study of every block of pavement within Urbana.  This study was updated in late 2021 and again in late 2025.  These blocks were each assigned a PCR (Pavement Condition Rating, 0-100 scale with 100 being a perfect pavement with no observable distress) by a person trained in that system.  Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) uses the PCR system to suggest treatments and schedules for their roads.  During the three iterations of this study, Urbana has increased its average PCR score from 69.9 in 2017, to 74.2 in 2021 and finally to 75.7 in 2025.  This list will assist in choosing streets to maintain or repave and corresponds to the streets where sidewalk, curb and gutter maintenance will be enforced if present. Access the PCRs here.  Streets being considered for paving in the next 5 years include at least portions of:

• Boyce Street
• Central Avenue
• College Way
• East Court Street
• Grimes Avenue
• Grimes Circle 
• Henry Street
• Madison Avenue
• Maple Street
• Muzzy Road
• North Edgewood Avenue
• North Kenton Street
• North Locust Street
• North Walnut Street
• Oak Street
• Old Farm Road
• Ridgewood Avenue
• Sara Street
• South Locust Street
• West Market Street
• West Reynolds Street
• West Ward Street
• Windsor Avenue

Also, the following state or U.S. routes are planned:​​

• North Oakland Street (SR 29) (2028)

  
2026 Project Agenda

1. Urbana Bike Trail Safety Improvements – The City obtained grant funding through ODOT starting in 2022 for the design and construction of two improved bike trail crossings.  The affected crossings were the Miami Street and N. Main Street intersections with the Simon Kenton Trail.  The project began in late summer 2025 and wrapped up mid-2026 due to pole manufacturing and electric metering delays.  The objective at Miami Street was to add Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) at the crosswalk and separate the southern drive approach from the trail.  The objective at N. Main Street was to add RRFBs, move the trail crossing further north away from the railroad, reduce the crossing distance, eliminate the first block of Laurel Oak Street and shift Fyffe Street northward away from the tracks.  Bids were opened in February of 2025, with Park Enterprise Construction Company, Inc. submitting the lowest and best bid at a price of $735,021.00.  The project’s final cost was $742,032.36.  $661,518.90 was covered by a federal safety grant.
2. West Court Street Bridge Replacement – Funding through ODOT was obtained in 2021 for the W. Court Street Bridge Replacement project.  The project replaced a 100-year-old-plus, buried structure with new 96” piping.  Water lines and sewer lines were replaced underneath the bridge prior to adding the 96” pipe.  The bridge was previously posted for 45% of the legal load.  It was and still is piped on both sides, lying halfway between N. Russell Street and N. High Street, making it hard to distinguish from the top side.  Bids were opened in May of 2025, with Majors Enterprises Inc. submitting the lowest and best bid at a price of $682,468.02.  Majors Enterprises began in March of 2026 and completed the project in less than 3 months, which was ahead of schedule.  The final cost of the project was $667,426.06; this amount was fully covered by various federal grants.
3. The Sidewalk, Curb and Gutter Program for 2026 occurred on at least portions of Bon Air Drive, Camelot Drive, Pine Tree Drive, Cambridge Drive, New Haven Drive, Parkway Boulevard, Players Court, Bentwood Court, Pro Circle and a separate location that was missing required walk and curb.  The City required piecemeal curb and sidewalk replacement on these streets, with much of the work started back in 2025 by private contractors on behalf of the owners.  Work bid in February with an awarded contract value of $261,765.50 (MD Miller Concrete).  Concrete work happened in anticipation of the City paving program for the year.  A large part of the cost is paid back via abutting property owner assessments along the routes.  However, the City of Urbana was responsible for approximately 50% of the costs of the program due to maintenance of its own property frontages in these neighborhoods as well as catch basin repairs and curb ramp additions.  The final project value for MD Miller Concrete was $224,731.10.
4. The 2026 Asphalt Paving Program included all or portions of the following streets: Bon Air Drive, Camelot Drive, Pine Tree Drive, Cambridge Drive, New Haven Drive, Parkway Boulevard, Players Court, Bentwood Court and Pro Circle.  Additionally, full depth asphalt repairs were made on Miami Street to combat base failures happening since traffic was shifted back in 2023.  Barrett Paving Materials Inc. performed the project as the low bidder, coming in at a final cost of $1,040,650.83.  ODOT Urban Resurfacing happened on S.R. 55 from S. Main Street (U.S. 68) to the western corporation limit.  A & B Asphalt Corporation performed this work as the low bidder, with an awarded bid price of $461,961.27.  In addition to paving, the City contracted with the Champaign County Engineer’s Office for chip sealing on Childrens Home Road and East Lawn Avenue (north of Childrens Home Road) and crack sealing and striping on various streets.  The last pavement preservation technique the City employed was an asphalt rejuvenator for S. High Street.  This adds length to the expected life of the top course of asphalt, helping reduce future cracking and raveling.
5. Tee pads at the 18-hole Urbana Hilltop Disc Golf Course were replaced using a $19,605.00 grant from ODNR NatureWorks.  Other funding for the project came from the Urbana Hilltop Disc Golf Club ($9,000.00) and the City ($1,047.82).  The contractor, IntegrityContractors LLC of Houston, OH, performed the work while the ground was frozen in early 2026.  Their quote was chosen as the lowest and best at $29,652.82.  The previous asphalt tee pads had become worn and slick, hence the desire for new concrete tee pads with a heavy broom finish.
6. Phase 3 Water Replacement Project – Grimes Neighborhood is a water main and service replacement project aimed at replacing aging infrastructure.  The overall Engineer’s Estimate for the construction of the project is $3.02 million.  Financial burdens will be lessened by an in-house design.  However, assistance is necessary to complete the construction.  The City of Urbana plans to use $600,000 in grant money from the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC), $1,000,000 in 0% interest loan money from OPWC, $602,000 in two different Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), local match money and DEFA loan funding through the Ohio EPA to cover the gap.  All of Grimes Circle and Grimes Avenue as well as the connector street parallel to U.S. 68 will be affected.  This project is wrapping up design and may bid before the end of 2026.
   
   

2027 and on Project Agenda

1. US 36 Signals (Traffic Signal Improvements Phase 1) – Urbana was awarded a $2,000,000 construction grant in 2024 through the ODOT Small City Program for the replacement of seven (7) signals along US 36 and one (1) signal on SR 54.  The project is expected to be constructed in 2028.  An additional ODOT Transportation Alternatives Program grant in the amount of $494,000 was awarded in June 2025, specifically for the pedestrian features of the signal replacements and a new sidewalk/crossing at the US 36/SR 29 split.  An application for an OPWC grant is being submitted in late-2026 for an additional $678,180.  The project design began in late 2025 by consultant Compass Infrastructure Group.
2. The City will continue to initiate spot repairs of sidewalk, curb and gutter prior to paving.  It will also focus wholesale curb and gutter replacement programs on arterial streets (red and green) until complete, followed by collector streets (purple and yellow). See the functional class map here.
3. W. Ward Street Reconstruction – The City of Urbana is applying for an OPWC grant in late-2026, requesting $426,850 in order to reconstruct W. Ward Street from N. Oakland Street to the Weidmann Electrical Technology truck entrance.  The aim of this project is to replace an aging and undersized water main, add storm lines and catch basins to help with drainage, provide curb and gutter, and rebuild and widen the street to handle the trucks that are using it.  Due to some local expansion and investment by Weidmann, the City teamed with ODOT Office of Jobs and Commerce to obtain an additional $165,000 grant to put towards this project.