OAKLAND TWP — With paving season getting underway, township officials opened and immediately approved bids for two of its road upkeep projects.

Township supervisors voted unanimously during a meeting Wednesday evening, April 1, to approve the lowest bidder for both asphalt binder courses on four township roads and seal coats on five roads and the fire hall driveway.

Five bids were received for the asphalt binder project, which will use 4,633 tons of asphalt on Davis Road, Old East Butler Road, Oakland Drive and Thorn Apple Drive. While bids reached over $480,000, the lowest was from Shields Asphalt Paving at a cost of $71 a ton, or $328,943 total.

The seal coating, which covers over 23,000 square feet between Boydstown Road, Layton Road, Pine Tract Road, Thorn Drive, Weed Road and the driveway, received only two bids. Its lowest was Youngblood Paving for a total cost of $55,204, while the other bid was near $60,000.

“Looks like we were under budget for the whole project,” Supervisor Shaun Krill said after bids were opened and the projects awarded.

Borough secretary Diana Foehringer said both projects are being paid for using a portion of a $400,000 state grant award the township received in January. The township received the grant for road enhancement and preservation projects.

Work on both projects is expected to begin in the coming weeks.