Planning for Riverview Road stormwater project is now underway

by Melissa Martin

Jan. 16 city council meeting

Representatives from the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District presented preliminary plans to city officials for the upcoming Riverview Road stormwater project.

The estimated $4.16 million project, set to begin in late 2024 or early 2025, is expected to take approximately 11 months to complete with construction taking place in three phases. During each of the phases, the portion of the road between Greenhaven Parkway and Wiese Road will be closed to through traffic. However, residents will be able to access their driveways throughout the project, said Anne Schilling, NORSD’s watershed team leader for the city of Brecksville.

The city of Brecksville will contribute approximately $700,000 toward the project.

Schilling told council the project has been on the sewer district’s radar for several years and has been identified by both the city and the sewer district as part of the regional stormwater master plan.

“Every time it rains, there is water on the road between Greenhaven Parkway and Wiese Road,” she said. “This not only impacts residents from getting in and out of their driveways, but also prevents emergency services from accessing the area.”

The upcoming project, Schilling said, will improve the conveyance of the regional stormwater system and also help make it easier to maintain the regional stormwater system.

“This project will get Riverview Road up to the 100-year level of service, which is the equivalent of 5.5 inches of rain in a 24-hour period,” Schilling said. “We will do that that by raising the road up 4 feet at the highest point and by replacing and upsizing the two crossings that pass below Riverview Road.”

Schilling explained that once the work is finished, there will be more ability for water to flow through the culvert under the roadway and more sediment will be able to pass through.

“We are also planning to remove the sediment vaults at the juncture of Riverview and Greenhaven and will be replacing it with an open concept that will make it easier for our team to maintain. … We will also be adding a 72-inch culvert along Greenhaven and under Riverview that will help drain that intersection as well.”

As part of the preconstruction process, NORSD held two open house sessions with residents living in the area on Dec 19. Those meetings were attended by 130 residents who provided their input on what needs to be improved on the roadway where stormwater is concerned.

Schilling said NORSD previously completed a project that drained 12,000 yards of sediment from a nearby basin off Greenhaven parkway. The work, along with ongoing inspections and routine maintenance, has helped improve the water’s ability to pass under Riverview Road.

“We will continue to maintain and inspect that basin as well moving forward,” she said, noting that the NORSD also performed straining and dredging downstream in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park which also provided a significant degree of relief.

Schilling said approximately 90% of the project’s design work has already been completed.

In other news, council approved a resolution updating and amending an economic incentive agreement between the city and Applied Medical Technologies, located at 8006 Catherine Boulevard.

According to Monica Bartkiewicz, the city’s director of planning and development, the original agreement was approved by council in June, 2022. However, due to rising prices of materials, the project, which would have expanded the facility by 100,000 square feet, was delayed and the agreement was never executed.

According to the terms of the revised agreement, the company is now moving forward with a 110,000-square-foot expansion and the restated and amended job preservation agreement.

“This [new agreement] involves the same economic sentiment with a different pay structure due to time that has elapsed since the original agreement was passed in 2022,” Bartkiewicz said.

Mayor Daryl Kingston also announced that the city and the Brecksville-Broadview Heights School District will host an eclipse event at Blossom Hill on Monday, April 8. While the specifics will be released later this month, the event will feature educational activities, games, food trucks and more.

Additionally, he said, the city will also host its second annual Earth Day celebration at the city’s horticulture building on Sunday, April 21. This year’s theme will be “Planet vs. Plastics.” ∞