WATERVILLE — Workers in Waterville are expected this week to begin preparing Front Street for new concrete sidewalks from the Lockwood Hotel south to Bridge Street, as part of an $11.2 million downtown revitalization project.
The project, launched by the city, Colby College and the Maine Department of Transportation, includes changing Front and Main streets downtown from one-way traffic to two-way and improving intersections, sidewalks, lighting and landscaping.
The project includes a $7.3 million BUILD grant the city received from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Crooker Construction Inc. of Topsham, the contractor for the project, is expected to continue sidewalk preparation Monday along Main Street, from the Lockwood Hotel to Spring Street, according to City Engineer Andy McPherson.
Plans also call for workers from AD Electric Inc. of Sabattus to be downtown Monday to remove a street light on College Avenue, near Dunkin’. The company is then expected to work on the intersection of Main Street, College Avenue and Elm Street to adjust lane usage signs on the traffic signal mast arms. Lanes from College Avenue and Main Street north will be reduced by one lane.
Crooker is expected to place message boards near worksites and activate them with messages appropriate to their locations. According to a construction schedule provided by McPherson, work is to begin Monday to remove pavement from walkways, regrade them and install new traffic lights. Existing traffic lights are to be removed Wednesday, with new highway lighting installed April 7 and granite curbs installed April 11.
Street and sidewalk work, as well as landscaping, will continue through the summer, according to plans. Concrete islands and granite curbs will be installed and signs erected.
The traffic patterns on Main and Front streets are expected to change late this year.
McPherson said Wednesday about 17 people will be working downtown as part of the project.
“They have to finish this year,” he said, “so there’s no sliding backward.”
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