HARRISON – The heavy summer tourist traffic in Harrison Village won’t be unduly inconvenienced by the start of a major Main Street reconstruction project, Town Manager Mike Thorne said Wednesday.

“They’re going to concentrate on drainage this summer, but after that, they’re coming in with a vengeance,” Thorne said of CPM Constructors of Freeport.

CPM was awarded the Route 117 project earlier this month by the Maine Department of Transportation with a bid of $4.15 million.

The nearly three-mile project includes the stretch between Route 35 through the village up beyond Crystal Lake Park.

Thorne and other municipal officials planned to go over details with the contractors in a pre-construction meeting Thursday.

Thorne said CPM plans to start work Tuesday, June 1.

Construction work will be suspended during Harrison’s annual Old Home Days celebration July 14-18, and next year’s Old Home Days on July 6-10. The celebration includes two parades along Main Street and has become a popular affair in recent years.

Some in town are concerned that the project, deemed necessary for safety reasons by the state, will hurt business in The Block building by eliminating diagonal parking in front of the park in favor of parallel parking.

Thorne said there will be some diagonal parking created across the street from The Block.

Thorne said drainage needs of the project are extensive, given Main Street’s proximity to Long Lake, and that the installation of underground catch basins will keep the contractors busy throughout the summer months.