Pedestrians cross Congress Street at its intersection with High Street in Portland on Tuesday. The city has hired a new contractor for upgrades to the intersection near Congress Square Park, part of a long-delayed project. (Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer)

New contractors have been hired by the city of Portland to chip away at the work remaining on the long-delayed redesign of Congress Square.

Coastal Road Repair has signed a contract with the city to finish updates to the intersection of Congress and High streets this fall, about two years after work on the project stalled as the city clashed with the original contractor over how to handle electrical wiring discovered under the construction site.

The work will begin Sept. 15 and includes intersection updates, sidewalk and accessibility improvements, the installation of a new traffic signal, and lighting and landscaping improvements within the Congress Square intersection, the city announced Tuesday.

Construction is scheduled to go until Nov. 30 and start up again at the end of April to complete whatever work remains. Director of Public Works Mike Murray said it’s likely there will still be some construction to do in the spring, but he hopes only the finishing touches will be left.

“We’re happy to see this project move forward and looking forward to having it come to completion,” Murray said.

YEARS IN THE MAKING

The $7.2 million redesign has been in the works for years and was slated to unfold in two phases. It was originally expected to be complete in 2024 but has been plagued by delays.

The first phase, budgeted at $2.6 million, includes improvements to traffic flow and sidewalks at the intersection of High and Congress streets — work that was originally planned to be largely completed by fall 2022, with final paving and landscaping to occur the following spring. While the original contractor, Gordon Contracting, completed a portion of that work, there are still significant updates to be done, according to a bid published by the city this spring.

Phase two calls for upgrades to Congress Square Park itself, including the installation of new artwork and improvements to the plaza outside the Portland Museum of Art.

Cyclists ride up Congress Street at its intersection with High Street in Portland on Tuesday. Phase two of the ongoing project at Congress Square calls for upgrades to Congress Square Park itself, including the installation of new artwork and improvements to the plaza near the Portland Museum of Art. (Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer)

The new contractor will finish the traffic and sidewalk improvements this fall but has not signed on to do phase two of the project.

The first phase took far longer than expected because of the discovery of an electrical vault under the street. That resulted in partial closures of High and Free streets for months, frustrating nearby businesses and residents. Meanwhile, the city and the contractor were at odds over who was responsible for the delays and how to respond to them, and the two eventually ended their agreement.

MAKING PROGRESS

C.J. Opperthauser, executive director of Friends of Congress Square Park, a local nonprofit that supports the park, said Tuesday he’s thrilled to see the project back on track.

“It’s going to make the intersection much safer and more walkable and easier for neighbors to get into our park, which is very exciting,” Opperthauser said.

Friends of Congress Square Park puts on events, including concerts and meetups, at the park throughout the summer and fall. Opperthauser said there will be about six weeks of overlap between the group’s programming and the construction. He said he hopes to coordinate with Coastal Road Repair to minimize disruptions to planned events.

“As long as the park remains accessible, and it sounds like it will, the whole project I think will be OK,” Opperthauser said.

Murray, the public works director, said Coastal Road Repair has worked with the city on several previous projects, including paving Canco Road and Ocean Avenue. He said he’s confident the company will do a good job.

“They are used to working in congested areas with high volumes of traffic,” Murray said.

Coastal Road Repair, based in Westbrook, did not respond Tuesday to a phone call about the project.

Pedestrians wait to cross Congress Street in Portland on Tuesday. The city has hired a new contractor for Congress Square Park intersection upgrades as it ramps up efforts to complete a $7.2 million redesign of the intersection and park that’s been in the works for years. (Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer)

The city’s Planning and Urban Development department is managing phase two of the project, which will make updates to the park itself. The department has put out a bid for that work, but no contractor has been announced yet.

Opperthauser says he’ll be glad to see the project wrap. He is hopeful that phase two will be completed sometime next year.

“It’s been a long time coming. It’s been a little tricky navigating multiple seasons defined by ‘if.’ So we’ll be glad to have a solid plan in place,” he said.