FALMOUTH — Construction of a mile-long sidewalk between Route 88 and the Martin’s Point Bridge is well underway and is expected to be complete by mid-November.

The new sidewalk, which is being built by J. Pratt Construction, will run along the eastern side of Route 1 and extend from the proposed Martin’s Point bridge multi-use sidewalk to the existing sidewalk at Providence Avenue.

The sidewalk is expected to cost $577,000, the lowest project bid, Public Works Director Jay Reynolds said. The highest bid was $768,000.

The project has been planned since 2005, but because of a poor economy, budget cuts and other higher-priority projects, such Falmouth and Johnson roads, it was delayed, Reynolds said.

It was also originally scheduled to be built in three phases, but was combined into one this year. Reynolds said the consolidation was ultimately cheaper, noting each phase was projected to cost about $300,000.

The sidewalk is one of 10 projects originally outlined in a 2003 bicycle and pedestrian plan, he said. The plan’s goal is to make pedestrian connections between residential and commercial areas.

The sidewalk is a separate project from the $11.7 million Route 1 redesign project, which is in the design phase.

The Town Council selected a design consultant for that project in August. The consultant is expected to have a design prepared to go out for constructions bids this winter.

The project will bury utility lines and make infrastructure improvements to the street, sidewalks and intersections between the intersection of Route 88 and the Maine Turnpike interchange. The project also includes installation of new street lights and medians, landscaping and storm-water management improvements.

The first phase of construction is tentatively scheduled to begin next spring and be completed by the fall.

The paving portion of the project is expected to go through a public design phase in the summer of 2014 and go out for bids in the winter. Paving would likely begin in late spring 2015 and finish that fall.

The bond for the project was approved by voters in June and is expected to be financed through the Route 1 South tax increment financing district.

Will Graff can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 123 or wgraff@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @W_C_Graff.

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A flagger stops traffic on U.S. Route 1 last week in Falmouth, where a sidewalk is being built from the Martin’s Point Bridge to Providence Avenue. Construction is expected to be complete in November.

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