Gainesville city sidewalk, storm drainage project begins

A project to construct the Gainesville city Third and Main Street sidewalks and reroute stormwater is now underway by Joe’s Bridge & Grading of Poplar Bluff. The project is slated for completion on June 27. The work will involve replacing the sidewalks from the corner of Main Street where it begins near Town and Country Supermarket to the corner at Shelter Insurance - Douglas Hawkins Agency and down Third Street to Smokin’ Joe’s restaurant with a new ADA-compliant design. The project will also rework the city streets in those areas, and portions of the street will be opened up so new stormwater lines can be placed. City officials say that as specific challenges arise, the construction company will work to accommodate the needs of the businesses and will be working toward completion at the earliest date. The project was approved by the city council, prompted by water damage sustained in some of the businesses in those areas because the current design of the sidewalks and streets does not allow storm water to funnel properly away from the buildings. The city council accepted a bid of $353,275 from Joe’s Bridge & Grading at its Feb. 24 meeting.