KENNEBUNK — From the back windows of Duffy’s Tavern and Grill on Main Street is a view of bulldozers, excavators and construction workers who have spent the last nine months working to reconstruct the Route 1 bridge over the Mousam River.

Although the sight and traffic issues caused by the $3.3 million project are unpleasant to locals, one thought runs through the minds of many drivers and shop owners: It had to be done.

“Most customers have been okay with the construction and the noise,” said David “Duffy” Cluff, who opened his restaurant three years ago in the Lafayette Center building.

Cluff was forced to deal with the large-scale construction happening directly next to his building, with a cement divider running along the sidewalk leading up to his tavern’s entrance, allowing only a couple feet of room to walk through the door. Losing eight parking spaces and having business down 20 percent this summer, the restaurant has had a tough time luring tourists who are trying to avoid the traffic jams at the intersection of Main and Water streets.

“Tourists have a hard enough time figuring out where everything is anyway without all of this going on,” said Cluff, a native of Kennebunk who spent 30 years with Kennebunk Fire Rescue and was a deputy chief before opening his restaurant. Cluff said he is relying on local, faithful customers to pull his establishment through this rough patch.

With a deadline of Oct. 31, the bridge replacement ”“ funded by the state ”“ is being erected by the Auburn-based T-Buck Construction, and will be 61 feet wide and 90 feet long.

A temporary bridge was built one block over from the construction, and will be closed after the replacement bridge is installed. The temporary bridge is expected to be removed by May of next year, according to the project’s manager Nate Benoit of the Maine Department of Transportation.

The new bridge is replacing a 90-year-old one that, when inspected by the MDOT, received a four out of nine rating, determining it to be structurally deficient.

“It was basically old and deteriorated,” said Benoit.

Cluff said he hopes the town will host a block party on the bridge the day before it is accessible to drivers, bringing artists, farmers and music to the site, similar to the Tuesday Night Market that takes place on Main Street every week.

In the meantime, businesses will be forced to deal with the inconveniences of being located next to the project. In one incident this year at Duffy’s, glasses and dishes fell off the shelves because of vibrations caused by jackhammering, said Cluff.

“We’re lucky because we serve customers inside the building,” said Lisa Bickford, noting that her business, Café at Lafayette, is deeper within the Lafayette Center building.

Bickford said her business is down 40 percent, which she expects is due to the project, and she has started offering free delivery of food to store owners on Main Street who don’t have time to sit in traffic until the bridge is finished.

According to Bickford, some tourists and locals perceive the downtown bridge construction as a problem, and will choose to eat elsewhere.

Although there was nothing store owners could do to avoid the construction, the bridge replacement was necessary, she said.

Martha Hussey, owner of Marlow’s gift shop on Main Street, had similar thoughts on the situation.

“It’s coming right along, and we’ll be glad when it’s done,” said Hussey.

Hussey said she hasn’t received complaints from visitors, and people have said how nice the downtown looks, since the first phase of the downtown revitalization on Main Street was completed in June.

The renovation consisted of installing new light posts, planting trees, widening sidewalks and installing a brick patio for shoppers to rest and take in the view of downtown.

“It’s good because they’re moving fast with the construction and seem to be ahead of schedule,” Bickford said.

— Staff Writer Matt Kiernan can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 326, or at mkiernan@journaltribune.com.