LEWISTON — A major paving project planned for College Street will wait until spring 2016, according to Public Works officials.
The city will go out bid this summer for a 2.5-mile paving project on College Street between Montello and Stetson Brook, near the Greene border. But work won’t begin in spring 2016, according to Lewiston Engineering Technician Wes Enman.
Enman said the city does not want to shut down traffic that has been detouring around the Maine Department of Transportation’s Main Street project north of Switzerland Road. That work should wrap up near the end of the summer.
“Because of that Main Street work, a lot of people are using College Street to get into town,” Enman said. “I don’t want to be working on College while there’s a hold up on Main Street.”
Crews from both Lewiston and Auburn are now concentrating on completing projects that were settled last summer.
In Lewiston, crews are working to finish some projects that began late last year. That includes Pleasant Street between East Avenue and Jill Street and Pond Road between Cherrywood Drive and No Name Pond Road. Both projects were budgeted, bid and planned last year.
Pleasant Street received a new level of asphalt, and crews will begin raising manholes and drains there next week. A final coat of paving is expected mid-June.
Crews repaved a portion of Pond Road south of Cherrywood Drive last summer, but did not have enough time to complete the project. Crews should begin grinding down the pavement June 4 and should have new asphalt down and be mostly finished with the project by mid-July.
“But so far this spring, we’ve changed several cross culverts and drains and replaced four or five driveway culverts there,” Enman said.
Enman said a new batch of Lewiston projects should kick off in July, when the city’s new fiscal year begins. Bids should go out in the next few weeks for road work on Old Greene Road between Sabattus and Garcelon streets, and Montello Street between Old Greene Road and Stanley Street.
In Auburn, the city settled bids and hired contractors for 2015’s project list last fall. They’ll work later this summer to come up with a list of next year’s paving projects, according to Deputy Director of Public Services Dan Goyette.
Auburn crews are working on South Main Street between Outer Cook and Bolster streets, and Lake Street between Park Street and Colonial Way. Both were projects started last summer that should wrap up in the next few weeks.
Road reconstruction on Riverside Drive from Dunn Street to Vickery Road should begin in the next week or so, he said.
Crews from the Auburn Water District are working on Broad Street between its two intersections with Mill Street.
“We will be repaving that road when they are finished,” he said. “We are not starting until at least July.”
Crews will repave a portion of Davis Avenue between Gamage and Lake streets later in June or early in July. Work paving Valview Drive from Garfield Road to the end should begin in July as well.
Crews will also begin the last phase of the summer 2014 paving work on Park Avenue between the elementary school and Lake Street once school ends in mid-June, Goyette said.
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