Route 4 reconstruction plan aired

LIVERMORE FALLS — Make no mistake, the reconstruction of 1.1 miles of Route 4 will be an inconvenience, but the end result will be a new section of highway with new sewer and water lines and new storm-drain system, a state project manager said.

Maine Department of Transportation representatives and consultant engineers outlined the $6.5 million state project for about 50 people Wednesday night at the Livermore Falls High School.

The Livermore Falls and Jay sewer departments and the Livermore Falls Water District are expected to spend a combined additional $2 million-plus to upgrade the water and sewer lines.

The project will run from Bridge Street in Livermore Falls to Pineau Street in Jay.

The proposed scope of the project is a full reconstruction, said Ralph Norwood, of Gorrill-Palmer Consulting Engineers Inc. of Gray. The existing pavement and gravel will be excavated and the storm-drain system will be redone.

There will be one, 12-foot travel lane in each direction and there will be 6½-foot shoulders on both sides from Bridge Street to Jewell Street in Jay. From there the shoulder will be reduced to 4 feet until it gets to the C.N. Brown gas service station and then it will go back to 6½-foot shoulders, Norwood said.

There will be sidewalks on both sides of the road to Elm Street in Jay, and then the sidewalk will continue on the side closest to the Androscoggin River due to space constraints, he said. There will be granite curbing up to the gas station and asphalt curbing after that.

The centerline of the road will stay about where it is, he said.

There will also be no more buildings taken, but there will be some strips of land taken, Norwood said. The property would be appraised and the state’s process includes the owner getting fair market value for the property. There also could be easement pacts and agreements for temporary easements during construction.

Two buildings have already been taken in the past for the project, one in Livermore Falls at the intersection of Bridge and Main streets and another on Main Street in Jay.

Jeff Preble of Wright-Pierce, which has worked with the towns of Jay, Livermore Falls and the Water District on the design for the proposed sewer and water line upgrades, said the water line work will start by Western Auto, which is just below Bridge Street.

Ninety-five percent of the design plan for the state project is done and the utilities upgrade will have to now be weaved into the state’s design, DOT Project Manager Jim Ferguson said.

They’re doing everything possible to get the project out to bid in late April for early May with hopes for construction to begin in late June, Ferguson said.

He requested that anyone with cellar drains that drain out to the road let them know about it beforehand.

The project is expected to extend into 2011. The utility work will most likely take up most of 2010, he said.

Fran Szostek of Livermore Falls suggested that the speed limit be lowered to 15 miles per hour from 25 mph during the daytime to make it safer for pedestrians, especially children.

Other concerns raised included increasing the number of crosswalks to allow people to cross the road, traffic delays, loss of business for merchants, elimination of some parking and that the project be done in a timely fashion.

Town officials and business leaders recognized the DOT for finally moving forward on the project and stressed the need for it to be done.

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Arthur Leavitt of Jay looks over a design plan prior to a public hearing Wednesday on the proposed $6.5 million reconstruction of Route 4 from Bridge Street in Livermore Falls to Pineau Street in Jay.

Maine Department of Transportation Project Manager Jim Ferguson, standing at right, gave about 50 people an overview of the state’s proposed $6.5 million reconstruction of Route 4 in Livermore Falls and Jay during a public hearing Wednesday at the Livermore Falls High School.

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