COLUMBIANA — Bids for the project to upgrade the state Routes 7 and 14 intersection came in over the engineer’s estimate, but the state has agreed to cover the difference, City Manager Lance Willard told council this week.

Willard said the bids were in excess of the estimate of $2.57 million by just under 7 percent, with the lowest bid coming in at $2.75 million from the A.P. O’Horo Co. of Youngstown.

The Ohio Department of Transportation awarded the contract to O’Horo and notified the city that it was able to find safety grants to cover the more than $200,000 difference.

The project attracted bids from six other companies in addition to O’Horo, with the highest coming in at $3.08 million from an Akron company.

The intersection has been the site of many crashes over the years, with the belief among city officials and those working on the project that they are the result of the lack of turning signals in the traffic light and turning lanes.

The construction of the new Town Center development and anticipated Marketplace at Firestone Farms expected to add additional traffic there and resulted in even more of a need for improvements.

The project will add those components to the intersection to provide left turning lanes along each leg of the approach, as well as the necessary right turning lane along state Route 14 to the west of the intersection.

Other improvements include signage and lighting, guardrail, drainage and waterline relocation and pavement markings.

The project is expected to begin this spring, with the city only responsible for a portion of the cost as the bulk has already been covered by grants.

Willard also announced during the meeting that bids came in for the Fairfield Avenue sidewalk project, with Howells and Baird engineers recommending the bid from Parella-Pannunzio Inc. of Youngstown.

The company bid $224,662 on the project that consists of the installation of 3,477 lineal feet of five-foot sidewalk along Fairfield Avenue from Bittersweet Drive to Woodland Avenue and 498 lineal feet or sidewalk on Metz Road east of Fairfield Avenue.

That project is almost entirely funded by ODOT.

Council approved emergency legislation contracting with Parella-Pannunzio for the project.

It also approved emergency legislation providing for the deposit of active, inactive and interim funds plus requests from the Columbiana Softball Association and Fairfield Ruritan Club for events in the city.

The softball association will hold a tag day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 21 and the Ruritan Club will hold its 25th annual classic, custom and antique car show on July 15 on South Main Street.

kwhite@mojonews.com