BIDDEFORD — City officials are alerting motorists to expect delays as preparation work begins for paving  part of  lower Main Street in Biddeford starting Oct. 7.

All construction will take place on Main Street between Alfred Street and Hill Street, said Communications Coordinator Danica Lamontagne. The project is scheduled to be completed over a three-week period and is expected to be finished by Oct. 22.

The work means Main Street travelers will benefit from a smoother drive down lower Main Street as previous construction patches are repaired.

Preparation work for the project will begin on Main Street with lowering and raising of manholes taking place overnight beginning on Thursday, Oct. 7. Paving is set to begin Oct. 12 and will take place during daytime business hours.

When construction work is in progress, drivers crossing into Biddeford from Saco will be allowed to travel up Main Street, which will be open to one-way traffic. Elm Street traffic travelling down Main Street towards Saco will be detoured up Alfred Street to Pool Street. Motorists can then turn onto Hill Street to get to Saco. Water Street and Hill Street will remain fully accessible during this project.

Lamontagne said parking will only be prohibited along the section of the road that is actively under construction each day. A limited number of 15-minute customer parking spaces for curbside pick-up services will also be available within the construction area and will be marked with new signs, she said.

For more information, contact Jeff Demers, director of Public Works, at 282-1579.