About $2.8 million in road, sidewalk, parking lot and trail projects are expected to be completed across Franklin this year.
The total includes $1.7 million budgeted for 2021 plus $1.1 million in funding that was unspent in the 2020 budget that was re-appropriated to use on the projects this year.
The funding is carrying over because a number of projects planned last year were not completed due to the pandemic or weather delays, said Mayor Steve Barnett. Any unused funding from this year would also carry over to next year, he said.
The projects are varied and take place across many areas of the city. Dollar amounts the city provided are based on engineer estimates, as quotes and bids have not been accepted at this time.
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The most significant chunk of funding, $1.1 million, will go toward street paving. One of the larger projects will include $150,000 in work to resurface Upper Shelbyville Road, which has needed attention for some time, Barnett said.
About $600,000 will be spent on various other street projects including crack sealing, rejuvenation and concrete patching on subdivision streets.
About $400,000 will be spent on repaving various alleys across the city. Alley updates that have been underway for the past few years are expected to wrap up by next year, Barnett said.
Around $200,000 will be spent on new sidewalks, including a section of sidewalk on Hospital Road and Park Avenue on the Franklin College campus. Of this allotment, an additional $50,000 will be added to the city’s sidewalk grant program, which is open for residents to apply for funding to repair the sidewalk sections that cut through their property.
Existing walking trails and multi-use paths will get $120,000 in seal coating to preserve the pavement.
Two new crosswalk signals at $7,500 each will also be installed on Forsythe Street, one at the intersection with the Franklin Greenway Trail and the other at a pedestrian crossing on Franklin College’s campus.
A decorative wall at Main Street and Jefferson Street will be repaired for about $75,000. The wall was damaged previously by a semi accident, Barnett said.Â
The newly formed Franklin arts district will get $15,000 toward initial projects that are still to be determined. Â
This allotment does not include work that the Franklin Redevelopment Commission and the Community Crossings grant program will fund.
With a $260,420 Community Crossings grant, the city will resurface State Street from South Street to the city limit. The city will put up an equal amount for their 50% match with funds that were already set aside for the project last year.
The first phase of construction on Jim Black Road is planned this year by the RDC at a cost of $527,200. The project will update the road for the planned Interstate 65 Commerce Park being developed by Sunbeam Development Corporation. The road is the access point for the first building in the development, along with the access point for multiple future buildings.
A $1.2 million RDC-funded roundabout is also planned at the intersection of Commerce Parkway, Arvin Drive and Hurricane Street, the fourth in a series of five along the Franklin truck bypass.
