It’s been a busy spring and summer in downtown Maysville with multiple infrastructure projects underway at once.
But the dust, dirt and inconvenience will be well worth it once the projects are completed, officials said this week.
Since late winter, work to replace gas lines and water lines along Second Street in downtown Maysville has been in progress, according to Maysville Project Coordinator David Hord.
Columbia Gas is replacing gas mains and service lines from Wall Street to the Simon Kenton Bridge along Second Street, along with some side streets, including Sutton Street, Lower Market, Cherry Alley and Limestone Street. The city is replacing water lines along Second Street from Sutton Street to Government Street. No side streets are involved.
Sidewalks are also being replaced in the downtown business district and, eventually, streets will be blacktopped.
Hord said the work has gone relatively smoothly as contractors have tried to accommodate businesses as much as possible. Complaints, he said, have been rare.
With three sets of contractors working on the projects, there is bound to be some disruptions, Hord said. But the alternative to having six months of ongoing construction in the business district, would mean doing the projects back-to-back and taking a year to complete them, he said.
The wet and rainy weather has had some impact on the projects, Hord said, particularly in pouring concrete.
“Wet weather has been somewhat of a factor in laying concrete,” he said
Crews have lost about 15 days to weather conditions, he said.
A public question-and-answer session has been planned for July 2, at 5:30 p.m., at the Maysville Rotary Clubhouse on the projects, City Manager Matt Wallingford said. The goal is to keep the public informed and updated on progress of the various projects, he said.
Current status of those projects and others include:
Columbia Gas gas line replacement — The project is nearly complete with some tie-in work yet to be finished on Sutton, Court, Market and Limestone streets. Hord termed it at about 80 percent done.
Water line replacement — The main line from Market to Limestone has been installed and tied in at Government Street. Service lines are left to tie in . He said the project is 60-65 percent complete.
Business district sidewalk project — The contractor is about 15 percent into the project, Hord said.
Second Street sidewalk project — This is the project being funded through a Transportation Enhancement Grant. Sidewalks have been replaced on the north and south side of West Second from Wall Street to Rosemary Clooney Street, Hord said. Work will now progress to the north side of Second Street from Rosemary Clooney Street to the end of West Second near the city limits.
By the first of next week. Hord said he hopes to have contractors mill Second Street from Court Street to Sutton Street and repave the roadway although finishes such as a final resurface and striping work will be put on hold until gas and water line work is complete.
Masonry contractors are working to re-install paving bricks on Market and Sutton streets, Hord said.
Bump-outs planned as part of a redesign for Second Street are in the works for the corners of Sutton, Market and Limestone streets. Those plans also include changing Second Street from two lanes to one.
At least two alleyways in the downtown business district will get a make-over to become more pedestrian friendly transitions from McDonald Parkway to Second Street, Hord said. Those alleys are near US Bank and Omni Materials, he said, and will include adding Edison-style lighting.
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