LEWISTON – Site preparation for the Estes Express Lines trucking terminal is under way on River Road, with its 15,000-square-foot foundation scheduled to be poured this week.

The $3 million project includes more than $1 million just for site work and concrete, according to Guy Ordway of Freeport, the job site superintendent for D.F. Chase Inc. of Nashville, Tenn.

“The site will have approximately 250,000 square feet of hardtop, Ordway said, adding that the project will be completed by the first of next year.

Six acres of the 13-acre site will be covered by the facility, which will have parking for 107 tractor-trailers and a docking facility with 36 doors. Trucks will back up to the doors and unload, Ordway said. There, the cargo will be mixed with products from other trucks and then reloaded onto outgoing trucks, he said, noting the facility is not intended to be used for storage.

After months of looking at many sites in Lewiston and Auburn, the real estate division of Estes Trucking settled on the lot on River Road, primarily because of its proximity to the Maine Turnpike, but also because of the help the company received from the city.

“The city of Lewiston was willing to work with us,” said Estes spokeswoman Angela Maidment. “Lewiston had good zoning for the type of facility we wanted to build, and they’re trying to bring in jobs of this type.”

The company purchased the land from Gendron & Sons Construction and will own the building as well. Estes has one other facility in Maine, located in Scarborough. That leased facility will be closed and its operation and 35 employees will be relocated to the new Lewiston operation.

“The new terminal will be larger,” Maidment said, adding that she expects the number of jobs there to double within three years. “We expect to be hiring right away.”

Subcontractors hired for the project are mostly local companies, according to Ordway, and include: Gendron & Sons, a subcontractor for the site work and concrete; Roy I. Snow Inc. of Auburn (electrical); Pike Industries Inc. of Poland (paving); Summit GeoEngineering Services of Lewiston (geological engineering, soil tests and erosion control); Simard & Sons Inc. of Lewiston (fueling station); Sprinkler Systems Inc. of Lewiston (fire sprinklers); and Technical Services Inc. of Auburn (planning assistance).

Although D.F. Chase is located in Tennessee, its owner, Dean Chase, is originally from Millinocket, Ordway said. Chase left Maine to form the full-service general contractor and construction management company in Nashville in 1986. Ordway also lived in Millinocket and worked as a white water rafting guide on the Penobscot River for several years.

“We’re hoping to do more business in Maine,” Ordway said.

Estes Express Lines has 182 terminals in 46 states, and its Express Link serves the remaining United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico. It employs 13,700 people and reported revenues of almost $1.5 billion in 2005.