JAY – If a proposed federal economic stimulus package comes through, a long-awaited Route 4 road reconstruction project might be done.

The Maine Department of Transportation has put off reconstructing a 1.1 mile section from Bridge Street in Livermore Falls to Pineau Street in Jay since 2004 due to the cost of the project.

Now that President-elect Barack Obama has proposed an economic stimulus package to put billions of dollars into infrastructure projects around the country to get people back to work, the prospect of doing the project before 2011 is looking better.

Maine Department of Transportation Region 3 engineer Mark Hume said the project is on the list of projects that may get done if the stimulus package is distributed.

Some design and right-of-way work has been done.

The MDOT plans to have a meeting Jan. 7 to take a look at the project to “see where it was left off and discuss how we’re going to get it going again,” Hume said.

The project received $200,000 in funding in 2002-03 for preliminary engineering and right-of-way work, he said. The total cost of the project pertaining to MDOT was estimated to be $4.37 million, Hume said.

The superintendents of both Jay and Livermore Falls sewer departments have received approval from selectmen to get on the list for state revolving-loan funds to install new sewer lines during the MDOT project. Livermore Falls Water District is looking into doing the same.

The three entities have a joint preliminary engineering design that was drafted four years ago.

Livermore Falls Sewer Department was awarded a $182,700 grant in 2004 in conjunction with a $223,000 low-interest loan to replace sewer lines. The project is expected to cost at least $200,000 more than that now, Department Superintendent Kent Mitchell told selectmen earlier this month.

Jay’s sewer portion is estimated to cost about $667,000, at least $200,000 more than the estimated cost four years ago, Sewer Department Superintendent Mark Holt told selectmen Monday.

Livermore Falls Water District Superintendent Doug Burdo said the water main replacement was originally estimated at $840,000 and is now estimated at $1.7 million. The district’s portion encompasses the entire 1.1 miles.

Steve McLaughlin, Maine Department of Environmental Protection engineer manager, who runs the state’s clean water revolving-loan fund, said he is trying to coordinate funds for wastewater projects that are shovel-ready, if the stimulus package comes through.

“Rumors and innuendoes are flying all over the place,” McLaughlin said of the stimulus money, and he’s trying to get everyone prepared for it, in case the rumors are true. He said he has heard his program would get $50 million to $100 million.

The rumor is that the projects have to be ready to go within 90 days of Obama taking office, McLaughlin said.

Projects are being added to the list every day, he said. He already has about $150 million worth listed but doesn’t expect them all to be shovel-ready.

McLaughlin is awaiting an opinion from the state attorney general to see what needs to be done to offer loans at zero interest. He’s also looking to see what it would take to offer 30 percent principal forgiveness on those loans, McLaughlin said.

That would mean if a town took out a $1 million loan, it would have to pay back $700,000, he said.