Business View - July 2015 121
still focusing on roadway projects, but we’re putting
much more effort into the underground infrastructure
that really was ignored to some degree, before.”
Of course, being an Ohio city, Thiel admits that its lo-
cation poses certain challenges: “The climate, the
freeze/thaw cycle is very harsh on our infrastructure.
So, we have to pay very close attention to construction
methods used, to insure that the quality of the work
will hold up to our climate.” In 2014, Thiel’s Depart-
ment of Engineering did just that when it completed
construction on a roundabout near the Ohio State
campus. The roadway was re-constructed using roller-
compacted concrete, a method of construction that
earned the city an award.
Some of the city’s other infrastructure repairs will be
the result of a mandate from the Ohio Environmental
Protection Agency. The city of Columbus, and the 22
satellite cities around it, all have orders from the Ohio
EPA to study their sanitary sewers, and then design
and implement improvements to them. So Upper Ar-
lington has a 10-year CIP (Capital Improvement Proj-
ect) program in place. Luckily, the city’s budget for
infrastructure improvement has increased from $5-6
million to $10-13 million, per year.
As Thiel looks several years down the road, she sees
major improvements to all aspects of Upper Arling-
ton’s roads and infrastructure: “The sewers will be in
much better condition than they are now; we will be
well into the sanitary/sewer improvements that we
have programmed; I see roadway improvements and
better-looking streets. In five years, we should have all
of our bridges up to acceptable levels. And I hope that
we’ve really improved on our connectivity, city-wide.”
As the city of Upper Arlington closes the book on its
first century, it’s apparent that all the hard work put in
by the members of its Engineering Department, com-
bined with the enthusiasm (and generosity) of it inhab-
itant’s, will guarantee a bright future for this Ohio city’s
next hundred years.
PREFERRED VENDORS
Danbert Construction Co.
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INFRASTRUCTURE
