LIVERMORE FALLS — Watch out for the new granite curbing here and in Jay. The edges are sharp and can puncture tires if hit or driven over.

Several complaints have been made to town managers, police and the road contractor over the newly installed curbing along the Route 4 improvement project in the two towns.

Work on the 1.1 mile project is almost done for the year, project superintendent Kevin Pulkkinen of Pratt & Sons Inc. said Thursday.

“We’ll probably be done next Friday,” he said. “Right now they’re installing granite curbing and retaining walls.”

There might be a skeleton crew finishing up after that, he said.

The company has installed a surface layer of pavement over the road and that means the curbing is sticking up some.

Another 2-inch layer of pavement will be put down before it is finished, he said. But it won’t happen until next year.

There is a lot more curbing now to go with the up-to-date sidewalks and handicap access that wasn’t in place when the project started.

All the curbing is there per the Maine Department of Transportation’s plans, Pulkkinen said.

People are not used to it, and some are driving too close to it.

Hopefully, they will get used to it, he said.

The granite curbing looks great but is more unforgiving than the bituminous curbing that was there previously, he said.

People have got to get used to the opening and try to stay away from the edges as they are driving through, he said.

Even if the finish layer of paving was on, Pulkkinen said, people would still have problems with their tires if they drive too close.

Eventually the curbing will be flush with the pavement, DOT Project Manager Gary Trussell said.

There was previously very little curbing on the project and what there was was pretty well-rounded, Trussell said.

He is hoping people will adjust to the curbing and be able to maneuver through the openings without hitting it, once they get used to it, he said.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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