Construction workers prepare Monday morning for paving on Center Street near Lake Auburn in Auburn. The Maine Department of Transportation plans to lay down pavement from near Lake Auburn south to the intersection of Union Street. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

AUBURN — A much-anticipated paving project along the Center Street and Route 4 corridor through Auburn began Monday and is slated to continue until November.

Crews working the Maine Department of Transportation project were on site Monday morning near Lake Auburn as well as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge, where the paving will take place along a stretch between Oak Hill Road and the intersection of Center and Union streets.

Eventually, the paving will reach downtown Court Street.

The Center Street/Route 4 project has been a long time coming, and the major thoroughfare into western Maine has been a constant source of headaches for residents, motorists and Auburn Public Works staff as the road condition as deteriorated.

Center Street was voted the worst road to drive on in Lewiston-Auburn in a Sun Journal poll last year. Some residents recalled horror stories, including seeing a tire rolling down the road, and having the front suspension of their vehicle broken by a pothole.

Construction workers prepare the area near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge in Auburn for paving this summer and fall. The Maine Department of Transportation plans to lay down pavement from near Lake Auburn south to the intersection of Union Street. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Mayor Jeff Harmon said Center Street is the state’s responsibility to resurface, but overall maintenance has fallen to the city.

Paving was initially scheduled to begin last summer, but was pushed off to 2025.

Harmon said the northbound side of Center Street has “especially been problematic” in recent years.

Because Center Street is so heavily traveled, Auburn staff has struggled to keep up with patching potholes, especially during wet spring seasons.

Robert LaRoche, an engineer on the project for the Maine Department of Transportation, said to start, paving will take place during the day, but shift to nights starting in late June through the summer. It will then shift back to days in the fall, he said.

Since Center Street has four travel lanes, MDOT will close a lane but will always maintain two-way traffic throughout the project.

“Hopefully it won’t be as a bad as it could be,” he said.

LaRoche said following the Center Street section, crews will continue on to Court Street, where a section from Minot Avenue to the Longley Bridge will be paved. The entire project is expected to be complete by Nov. 20.

The city of Auburn announced the project in a social media post Sunday, stating that “in the weeks ahead, motorists should expect delays and seek alternate routes when possible.”

“Please slow down in the work zone, and follow all signage/flaggers,” the post said.