Commerce Road improvements the focus of new study

The Milford Village Council at its Monday, July 19 meeting approved the allocation of $13,450 to pay for further investigation into the possibility of improvements along Commerce Road.

The village is looking at improvements to the thoroughfare between Main and Summit streets, but Village Manager Arthur Shufflebarger said the village doesn’t know if the road needs a major repair or replacement.

“The engineers will look at it more closely before preparing a grant application. The grant money would be for 2015,” Shufflebarger said.

He added that he doesn’t know the amount of aid the village would be asking for at this time.

According to a memo from the engineering firm of Orchard, Hiltz & McCliment, the village had a special meeting with firm representatives to discuss different strategies to obtain funding.

The memo also states that the village had been considering work on Commerce Road for several years, but funding constraints and lack of federal dollars have set the project back.

The investigation of the road will be divided into three tasks by the engineers, with the first involving a geotechnical investigation, which will involve examining soil borings and pavement cores, as well as evaluating the road’s curb and gutter to see if they can be salvaged.

The second task will be researching the village’s utilities to see how they would be affected by the project.

The third task will include the engineers working with the village to put together an application to receive federal aid.

If the village secures federal funding, the firm can then proceed with a topographic survey and a preliminary and detailed design for the project.

Orchard, Hiltz & McCliment is aiming to have the first three tasks completed no later than Sept. 12.