In case you haven’t heard by now, the South Main Street project is (finally) over. We know – we can hardly believe it ourselves.
This means construction crews and noisy trucks are (mostly) gone, detours have been removed and – most importantly – traffic and life in general can more or less get back to normal, just in time for the holiday shopping season.
We all saw the fruits of the labors on North Main Street, and we’re fairly confident in saying that the project was an overwhelming success. City and state officials, business owners and residents all seemed to agree that the new North Main Street was well worth the inconveniences that construction caused.
Now, we feel safe enough to say that the south side will have the same – if not greater – effect. After all, the south side got basically the same treatment as the north – new crosswalks, benches, trees, lights and all of the other aesthetically pleasing goodies dotting the sidewalks. It’s still early, of course, but we have a feeling that most everyone will love the new South Main Street, too.
The project wrapped up at a nice time for a couple of reasons. Because it’s November, the project finished just in time for the holiday wreaths, which have always added a little extra oomph to the city’s appearance, even before the big makeover. It also is the perfect time for people to get out and do their Christmas shopping throughout the new downtown, without having to dodge construction equipment and duck under caution tape. And, due to the weather we’ve been having lately, people have had the chance to get out and actually walk around, in sneakers and – gasp – even sandals. It’s been that kind of month so far.
But you know all about the weather – you’ve been living through it. What you want now is some hard facts about the South Main Street project, because if there’s one thing the Insider is famous for, it’s nice, easy-to-understand and highly entertaining stat packs.
Of course, that required some help from someone who actually knows what he’s talking about: City Engineer Ed Roberge.
Whenever we’re in need of some no-nonsense, hard-hitting numbers, we always hit up Roberge. Luckily for us, he always delivers, and this time was no different.
We checked in last week to ask him about some of the details of the project. Since we gave him a big questionnaire after the North Main Street project, we decided to ask several of the same questions regarding South Main Street, plus a few others that are specific to this particular project. Roberge even included some bonus, off-the-wall kind of stats that we didn’t even ask for – what a guy!
Here’s what he had to say:
Insider: How many crosswalks were installed?
Roberge: 10, including side streets.
I: How many way-finding signs, if any, were installed?
R: Two kiosks (map and historic panel), 12 light pole mount pedestrian directional signs, four vehicular guidance signs.
I: How many benches?
R: Five metal benches, 28 square granite blocks, one stone bench, two integral seating planters.
I: How many trash and recycle bins?
R: Five trash, four recycle.
I: How many planting beds and/or trees were installed?
R: 28 trees, three curb planters, two integral seating planters.
I: Any new street lamps? If so, how many?
R: 47 single- and double-headed poles.
I: Parking spaces: Did South Main gain or lose spaces, and how many?
R: South Main Street from Pleasant to Concord gained 10 spaces. Concord to Storrs remained unchanged.
I: Are the power lines now all buried? If not, how much is buried? How much left to go?
R: Unitil and Fairpoint utilities are under ground from Pleasant Street to Thompson Street. Comcast is still active – need to bury from the alley north of OutFITters to Concord Street.
I: How long did the whole South Main project take?
R: March 31, 2016, to Nov. 10, 2016.
I: How much did the South Main project cost?
R: Still under review.
I: Were there any setbacks, delays or other unforeseen negative scenarios?
R: Not really – just the challenge to add undergrounding of utilities so late in the plan (April 2016).
And now, some fun bonus stats, courtesy of Roberge:
Greg Meagher went through one hard hat, two protective vests and three pairs of boots.
Greg also ate about 1,500 pounds of burritos and gyros – but lost weight by averaging 20,000 steps a day.
Severino Trucking Co. crews assisted people in moving nearly 4 tons of furniture/equipment through the work area by stopping what they were doing to help.
And finally – in appreciation of a job well done, downtown merchants and property owners hosted five parties (lunch and dinner events) for the project team. Unheard of in most parts!
Wow, five parties all celebrating the same thing? That’s a lifestyle we could certainly get behind.
Anyway, there it is. You heard it from the guy inside, the one keeping track of all the numbers. All in all, the city and construction crews should all be proud of the work they did, as we’re sure the whole community appreciates what has been accomplished here over the last year or so.
We sincerely thank everyone for bringing two-way traffic back to downtown!
