Water line upgrade on tap for downtown

Two-way traffic would be introduced on Main and D streets in downtown Lewiston under a preliminary plan to upgrade those roads that would require a bond.

The possible new configuration was part of a presentation at an open house about a Main Street corridor reconstruction scheduled for 2026.

The city of Lewiston has the resources to replace the aging water lines serving the heart of its downtown, including $3 million from the American Rescue Plan Act, said Lewiston Public Works Director Dustin Johnson.

But the money the city has available for the project would only cover patching, not rebuilding Main Street and other roads that will be excavated, he said.

The revenue from a bond could allow streets and sidewalks to be replaced during a time when the roads were already ripped out and complete other tasks such as retiring vaults underneath some downtown sidewalks that are no longer in use, Johnson said.

“This is a once-in-a-generation or once-every-other-generation opportunity to reconstruct the Main Street of your town and make it what you want it to be,” Johnson said.

Exactly what features would be part of the upgrade is being decided with help from public comments. The public can take a survey about the project at reimaginedtlewiston.org. The design is anticipated to be shared with the public at a meeting Oct. 24.

Right now Main Street is one-way with eastbound traffic between First and 11th streets. D Street runs parallel to Main Street carrying westbound traffic in that same section.

Making those streets two-way would have benefits such as slowing down vehicles, improving pedestrian visibility and making it easier to close streets for events, according to information from Welch-Comer, the firm that has the contract with the city to do a preliminary design.

After the design is finished, the city will determine how much it will seek in the bond, how many years it would run and how much it would cost each year to repay the debt, he said.

The measure would be placed on the ballot in May and require a 67.66% majority to pass. The bond could be configured so that property taxes wouldn’t increase, Johnson said.

The bond could be repaid with a portion of $2.3 million annually the city has earmarked for repairs of major streets for two years, he said.

The work that will happen regardless of what voters decide on the bond, including the water line upgrades, is significant, Johnson said.

The main water line serving downtown Lewiston between First and Ninth streets has a diameter as small as 4 inches in some sections.

“The pipes are too small to carry the amount of water we need (for) these larger users,” Johnson said.

The oldest sections are 110 years old and the newest ones are 80 years old, creating a situation where they break constantly and eventually will become cost-prohibitive to repair, he said.

The new pipes will be 12 inches in diameter and be made of steel or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) , a type of plastic, Johnson said.

Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.