After a brief hiatus, the work to upgrade the sidewalk on Main Street in Tisbury has resumed, and is now entering its second phase.
The work started Monday, Jan. 30, in front of Timeless at 26 Main St., with a construction crew setting the curb, Tisbury Department of Public Works’ Kirk Metell told The Times. The streetscape improvements will continue all the way to Owen Park.
The project began last fall, with the goals of rejuvenating the town’s streetscape and allowing for a safer, more accessible retail district with an “improved pedestrian experience” and enhanced vehicle traffic flow, according to Tisbury town administrator Jay Grande.
Construction will continue until the end of April, Metell said, with the aim of moving the estimated completion date from June 30 to before Memorial Day.
That new schedule is feasible, Metell said, “as long as the weather sticks with us.” Barring temperature-sensitive concrete work that must wait until slightly warmer weather, Metell said other aspects of the project — removing temporary asphalt patches, installing new curbing, brick landing, and repairing drainage structures —- are expected to be done on time.
A recently issued announcement by the Department of Public Works says those in the downtown area “can expect limited parking, traffic delays, detours, and road closures for the next three to four months.”
“As you can imagine with a job of this magnitude, both vehicle and pedestrian foot traffic may be altered,” DPW’s statement read.
When construction began on the first phase last November — consisting of surveying, drainage structure inspection, installation of silt liners and road cuts in areas of Main Street’s retail district — town officials were met with frustration by business owners who argued they were given little to no notice to prepare for the obstruction.
Having cited a years-old design approval and funding for the improvements dating back to 2018, Grande said previously that the project was granted authorization via town meeting votes and “votes of various boards and committees.”
The town subsequently awarded Lawrence Lynch Corp. the project after a request for proposals, Metell explained Monday.
Grande did not immediately respond to The Times regarding the project’s total cost.