Some major construction getting ready to happen in downtown Lima that will affect traffic through Thanksgiving.
Lima’s town square is getting a makeover with a modern roundabout. Starting Monday, crews will begin work on the roundabout. Currently, city water department crews are taking the opportunity to replace several 100-year-old valves. The first phase of the project will have the southern part of the intersection closed including a portion of the 100 block of South Main Street.
The project stems from a safety study done by the city, the regional planning commission, and ODOT. It is expected to take until about Thanksgiving to get it completed and they will maintain traffic as best they can during the 3-phases.
Assistant Lima City Engineer Ian Kohli explains, “We are going to maintain access to all the local businesses and to most of the parking throughout the project. With this closure, the parking for the civic center and both the Borra Center will be maintained. You’ll just need to access it from the south, from Spring Street.
Phase 2 and phase three of the project will include a new traffic signal at High and North Main Streets and a major change in parking in front of the courthouse.
“In the 300 block right now on the west side of the street, there’s parallel parking that gives you access to the courthouse. We’re going to change that all into pull-in parking on the west side. There’s also going to be a mid-block crosswalk installed right there by the alley between the two buildings.”
The project is estimated at 1.3-million dollars with federal, state, and local funding sources.
