JAY — The state’s proposed reconstruction of 1.1 miles of Route 4 in two towns, which has been on hold for several years due to lack of financing, has been approved for funding, state engineer Mark Hume said Tuesday. 

The total project is estimated to cost $6.5 million, he said.

That funding is in addition to the more than $2 million in work that the Jay and Livermore Falls sewer departments and the Livermore Falls Water District plan while the state is digging up the road. The intent is to install new sewer and water lines along the way.

The Maine Department of Transportation is holding a public hearing on the project from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16, at the Livermore Falls High School on Cedar Street in Livermore Falls.

The proposal is to reconstruct the road, which is Main Street, from Bridge Street in Livermore Falls to Pineau Street in Jay.

Besides rebuilding Route 4, the purpose is to address drainage concerns, especially coming off steep slopes, Hume said. The plan also includes straightening some areas on the road to improve sight distances.

There will most likely be some property taken, with the state paying fair market value for it, Hume said.

“It’s going to be tough to get through there without taking some property,” he said.

As soon as the final plans are done and the state knows what property it needs to acquire, an appraisal will be done, an offer developed and the owners contacted, Hume said.

“There will be ample opportunity for the community to be involved,” he said.

At the hearing there will be a large map to give people a chance to see what is planned in case something has been missed, Hume said.

  Hume said that if all goes well, the project is expected to go out to bid in late spring or early summer and be completed by the end of 2011.

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A Maine Department of Transportation project to reconstruct 1.1 miles of Route 4 in Jay and Livermore Falls has been funded, state engineer, Mark Hume said Tuesday.

A Maine Department of Transportation project to reconstruct 1.1 miles of Route 4 in Jay and Livermore Falls is funded, state engineer Mark Hume said Tuesday.