City to flood Water Street with upgrades in 2015

Here are the project's major details, provided by local engineering officials:WHAT: Several upgrades along Water Street. The scheduled improvements include paving the street; installing new curbs, gutters and sidewalks; replacing a water line beneath the street; and expanding the Sandusky Bay Pathway, the city's only recognized bike path. WHERE: Between Shelby and Wayne streets. The project's broken down more specifically with work in various blocks:•Water Street between Jackson and Wayne streets: milling and paving the road.•Water Street between Jackson and Lawrence streets: installing new curbs and sidewalks.•Water Street between Decatur and Jackson streets: improving the street area, including adding new brick pavers and street lights. •Water Street between Lawrence and Shelby streets: installing new curbs, gutters, sidewalks; upgrading the driving surface; and extending the Sandusky Bay Pathway. WHEN: Construction work is expected to begin and end sometime in 2015. COST: $1.62 million for design and construction. The cost is broken down with: •$882,700 coming from Erie County planning funds. •$430,000 in city funds from the capital, water and sewer accounts. •$306,500 from a state grant.WHY: The booming corridor is now home to several new businesses. Plus tourists travel on Water Street when accessing the Paper District Marina or Shelby Street Public Boat Launch."This is important to get done because it's another piece to all the improvements we're doing to downtown," commissioner Wes Poole said. "Water Street needs to be attractive for people coming into the city. It's money well spent that has been on the schedule to get done for some time"