By Patricia Roy

Discussed for decades and finally funded in 2016, the downtown revitalization

project is on schedule to reach completion by fall 2023.

The need for improving the downtown had been identified in municipal plans as long ago as the 1990s, according to Town Manager Michael Herbert. The goal was to improve pedestrian and traffic safety, improve aesthetics and spur private investment in the town, he said.

Adding value to private investment has been the desire of local officials and residents for the past few decades, said Herbert.

The work has focused on Main and Front Streets.

Things were well underway once the town hired civil engineering firm BSC Group who helped identify the goals and big picture of the ambitious project. BSC completed a 25 percent design submission, mapping the project area, roadway ownership, pavement conditions, speed regulations, noting public transportation needs, parking and location of bike lanes.

Sight distances, vehicle capacity and other areas of concern were also noted.  Burying utility wires was also in the scope of the project. 

Ornamental street lights and tree plantings are also on order.

Once the pre-construction proceedings were completed, bids were opened in 2020 and shovels were put in the ground in 2021.

The overall contract was awarded to P. Gioioso & Sons, Inc. of Boston with Charles Construction of North Andover subcontractor for utility conduit installation.

Funding was approved by residents from a variety of sources – Chapter 90 funds that the state gives out for road work, the town’s general fund and very like from the American Recovery Plan Act, Herbert said.

Were there any hurdles in getting underway?

”The only hurdles we had were major ones,” Herbert answered.

As in any renovation project, once you start opening up walls the ghosts of building practices past reveal their scary secrets.

Opening a road works the same way, he said. Working around the existing utility lines like water, sewer, gas and storm water drains was no picnic. Ground water was discovered to be higher than expected by the railroad tracks.

Of the utility suppliers officials had to deal with, Verizon proved the most troublesome, Herbert said.

“What was urgent for us was not always urgent for them,” he said.

There were some delays while COVID-19 interrupted the supply chain – when the town was ready to install granite curbing, it was not available. 

Overall residents have been very supportive even while dealing with traffic inconvenience, said Beth Reynolds, Director of Economic Development.

“We kept one lane of traffic open all the time to minimize the impact,” she said. 

This includes for the Main Street portion of the project where underground conduits for utilities are being put in place by the train tracks.  Two-way traffic will resume at the end of each work day.

This portion of the project was due to finish up on Feb. 17.

Connecting buildings along Main and Front Streets to the underground utilities will follow, then the surprisingly arduous task of removing the utility poles and filling in the holes will take place. The poles are about 40-feet-long and buried at a depth of 6 feet.

Pond Street is also getting a make-over to improve traffic and safety. This covers a segment of Route 126 that is a little more than half a mile and connects the town to Framingham and Holliston.