AUSTINTOWN — The township expects to save more than a quarter of a million dollars on paving in 2026 through a state program that is scheduled to end unless new legislation is passed.

On Monday, trustees authorized township Administrator Mark D’Apolito to apply for approximately $225,000 through the Ohio Public Works Commission’s State Capital Improvement Program. The money will mean the township pays less for a paving project in summer 2026, expected to cost more than $1 million.

“We pretty much always apply,” D’Apolito said. “The program at the state level is expiring, so we’re hoping the legislature puts it on the ballot sometime in 2025. It’s a good program that has served the township well over the years and supported lots of good infrastructure projects.”

The project proposes to pave all or parts of Wickliffe Circle North Nottingham Avenue, Woodhurst Drive, Cedarwood Drive, Stark Drive, Red Apple Drive, Birchcrest Avenue, Aldrich Road, Carlisle Avenue, Dayton Drive, Elm Trace Street, Evelyn Road, Frostwood Drive, Green Grass Way, Johnson Court, Kerneywood Drive, Kirkhaven Drive, Sandalwood Court, Sheffield Drive, Yolanda Place, Diana Drive, Duke Circle, Notre Dame Avenue, Purdue Avenue, Radcliffe Avenue, Forestwood Drive, Barrington Court, Finland Road, Dehoff Drive, Maple Trace Court, Westgate Boulevard, Woodland Trace Street, Javit Court, Kenmar Court and Evans Avenue.

In all, the project proposes to pave 6.59 miles of roads. D’Apolito said the proposal is just a proposal until the blacktop hits the road.

“These are subject to change, based on the economic climate when we go to pave,” he said. “We could end up cutting something or we could have money left over and add a street or a section.”

The OPWC website says the state is considering a renewal issue for next year, likely for the Nov. 4 general election. Over the past nine years, the website states the project has provided $2.3 billion in infrastructure funding, for 4,490 projects in 1,084 local governments in all 88 counties. The website states that in most years, every $1 in OPWC funds has been matched with double to nearly triple the funding from other sources. The project was originally approved by voters in 1987 and has been renewed about every 10 years since, most recently in 2014.