The pedestrian and bicycle pathway along the 14th Street Extension is set to be completed by this fall, according to the construction company whose bid for the project was recently approved by the city.
Construction will begin in the next few weeks, according to Cameron Lynch, president of C&C Lynch Excavation. He estimated the project would take between one and two months, so it should be done around late August or early September.
The 0.38-mile path will run from Ohio Street to Valley Avenue and connect with the Kenduskeag Stream Trail.
The project was first approved four years ago by MaineDOT, but was delayed because of the state funding process. About 80 percent of the project costs are being funded by MaineDOT, with the city covering the rest.
Lynch’s company submitted a bid to the city that was approved in a City Council meeting last week.
“I think it’s gonna be great,” Lynch said. “It’ll be more accessibility for those paths down there, easier for biking and walking, and hopefully cleans it up a bit.”
The Bicycle Coalition of Maine and MaineDOT’s Heads Up! Pedestrian Safety Initiative came up with the idea as a way to make walking and biking safer on a road that doesn’t currently have infrastructure for either.
