STEUBENVILLE — City residents can expect to see construction cones — lots of them — in 2025.

City Engineer Mike Dolak said five projects are on tap for the new year, not least of which is repaving Sunset Boulevard. Since it’s a state road, that work will be paid for entirely with state and federal grant funds.

He said city funds, supplemented with grant money, will pay for the other projects they have on tap, adding they’re all “very important to Steubenville’s infrastructure.”

“They provide better access for citizens to get around the city,” he said Friday. “Also, a lot of state routes and main arteries are going to get done this year and they transport (thousands of) vehicles a day, which enhances our transportation infrastructure.”

Scheduled for resurfacing upgrades are:

• South Fourth Street from Slack Street to Lincoln Avenue and from Lincoln to Sinclair: “That works stems from the water project that’s going on along Lincoln Avene, Sinclair Avenue and Coal Hill — the water department is upgrading the water lines all through there,” Dolak said. Sections disturbed by the water line installation were already going to be restored, but City Council decided to fill in the gaps to ensure a surface continuum.

“So, we’re (resurfacing) South Fourth from Slack down to Sixth Street and then we’re continuing on Lincoln Avenue, all the way up Sinclair to the west corporation limit,” Dolak said, adding that work should start in May and cost roughly $655,000.

• The city’s Community Development Block Grant-funded resurfacing, this year targeting Ohio Street (from Belleview Boulevard to Ridge Avenue) and Kendall Avenue (from Oregon Avenue to Roosevelt Avenue. The $382,000 project, expected to kick off in May, is funded through the city’s CDBG award.

• Sunset Boulevard resurfacing, starting around Welday Avenue and continuing all the way to Efts Lane. State and federal grant funds will cover the $1.8 million project cost, with the Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission covering the city’s match.

“That should start in May,” Dolak said. “And the construction and paving will take place at night.”

• Coal Hill Road (county Road 26) resurfacing, to be done in conjunction with the Jefferson County Engineer’s Office. That work has a price tag in the $600,000 range, with most of it ($500,000) covered by a state grant with the city and county splitting the remainder, about $100,000.

That work should get underway in August, he said.

• A resurfacing upgrade to a portion of county Road 43 (from the bottom of the Lovers Lane connector to Powell’s Lane) owned by the city.

That work should also commence in August. Dolak said they’ve applied for $68,000 in Ohio Public Works Commission funding to help pay for the $275,000 upgrade, adding a decision is expected in the coming week.

• The city’s 2025 asphalt resurfacing project: Granard Parkway East; Granard Parkway West; Jackson Place; Majestic Circle; Broadview Boulevard (from Columbia Avenue to Majestic Circle); and Oxford Boulevard (from Columbia to Majestic Circle).

“That project is estimated at $615,000 and should also start in August,” Dolak said. “We are hoping to receive a $240,000 grant from the OPWC to help with that cost.”

If funds permit, he said they’ll also tackle Oregon Avenue from Brady Avenue to Oxford Circle.

“This is the last year of our five-year resurfacing capital improvement plan that was passed by council in 2020,” he said, adding he’ll be going back to council in 2025 to plan for future improvements.

Dolak said they’re also going to try to do a Fort Steuben Drive sidewalk extension, adding that’s “about 500 feet from the roundabout to the mall entrance.”

“We’re trying to complete the loop from Sunset Boulevard to Lovers Lane to Fort Steuben Drive to Mall Drive to John Scott Highway, then back to Sunset,” he said. “We’re seeing a lot of walkers on Lovers Lane. Quite frankly, we’re seeing a lot of bikes on the sidewalks, too.”

Collectively, he said the city anticipates receiving $3 million in grant funds. The other $1.3 million is coming from several sources — the portion associated with the waterline upgrade is being paid for with funds from the city’s ARPA funds and the Ohio Water Development Authority, general fund lost revenue replacement dollars and the city’s 0.7 percent street fund, which is based off the income tax.

“It’s a temporary inconvenience for permanent improvement,” Dolak said, noting the last time Sunset Boulevard was paved was 2010 — that’s 15 years ago.

He also points out how asphalt prices have jumped over the years: In 1999, his first year on the job, 1 cubic yard of asphalt cost $84. By 2009, that same cubic yard of asphalt cost $175; by 2019, $180; and in 2024, $288.

“So, from 1999 to 2024, the price of asphalt has risen roughly 240 percent,” he said, adding, “A certain amount of money is allocated every year (for resurfacing) and we try to make the most of it.”