NORWAY — Residents and business owners on lower Main Street were told Thursday night work to rebuild the street is expected to be fully underway by June.

“It’s going to take a little bit of coordination and a lot of communication,” Robert Prue of Pine Tree Engineering told those at the public hearing.

The project, which the town is doing on the state road, uses a $400,000 matching state grant. The work includes reconstructing the streeet and imporving drainage and sidewalks.

The road is expected to be limited to one lane at times. Delays should be expected but no detours will be mandated, Prue said.

Utility work is expected to begin at the end of the month when bids are sent out, he said.

The work area will be from the Second Congregational Church to near Aubuchon Hardware. It contains a mixture of commercial and residential properties, anchored by Stephens Memorial Hospital.

Prue said once completed, the area will have two 12-foot-wide travel lanes with 8-foot-wide, paved multiuse shoulders for parking or bicyclists.

Some property owners questioned the effect on parking. Dr. Richard Bader of Bader Physical Therapy said he was concerned about the effect of temporary driveway closures for his clients.

Another resident said he would like to see at least 6-foot-wide sidewalks instead of the standard 5 feet.

“It’s a project that needs to be done,” Town Manager David Holt said. “We want the sidewalks to be used by people and have a better appearance coming into town.”

Holt said although it is unusual for the town to partner with the state for a state road project, “If we hadn’t done this, I doubt it would have been done in our lifetime, at least not in my lifetime.”

He said some people have questioned him about the need to revamp upper Main Street, but he said that project would be bigger and a long time away. Resurfacing it is on the state’s construction project list for 2020.

[email protected]