BIDDEFORD — Tina Drapeau proudly tossed a scoop of dirt onto the roots of a tree now standing in front of her shop.

For Drapeau, manager of Three D’s Variety on the corner of Washington and Main Streets, it was the beginning of a return to the way things were just a couple months ago, before heavy construction on the city’s sidewalks brought business to a standstill.

“There’s been a tremendous loss of business,” Drapeau said. “As you can see, the whole side of the street is tied up. There’s no parking here for customers.”

But on Tuesday, Drapeau said she was pleased to help, knowing customers would return once construction on the Main Street Sidewalk Improvement Project comes to a close.

The project, approved by the City Council in September, calls for the reconstruction and expansion of sidewalks and lighting on both sides of Main Street between Alfred and Adams streets.

But there were consequences to construction, including the removal of a majority of the city’s downtown trees. The move sparked public outcry at several public hearings held before the City Council earlier in this year.

The former trees had begun to die and were a complication to the construction process, said Linda Waters, the city’s community development coordinator.

“They had been substantially overgrown, been trimmed a great deal, and they couldn’t be salvaged as we put in the sidewalks. If we could have salvaged them, we would have salvaged them, but there weren’t any that could be salvaged,” Waters said Tuesday. “The best thing we could do was plant new trees.”

Seven Sienna Glen maple trees were planted along Main Street on Tuesday. The trees, the first of 16 to line the downtown, can grow to heights upward of 60 feet and can stretch close to 40 feet across, according to the University of Minnesota Extension.

The planting was a welcome sight for many who were sad to see the former trees go.

“It’s going to be very nice to have them replaced so quickly,” Drapeau said. “What they had to do to improve the sidewalk, obviously trees had to be removed, so now we’re going to get nice trees.”

Construction on the $716,370 sidewalk project has been in progress since early September. The venture is being funded with $294,465 in grant money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant program and an additional $421,905 in city funds.

More trees will be planted in the coming weeks, and temporary lighting will be installed before winter, Waters said, with permanent light fixtures on backorder.

Before snow flurries fly, the Maine Department of Transportation will pave the street’s two vehicle lanes. In the spring, DOT will pave the parking stalls along the road’s edges. At that point, improved crosswalks, featuring the city’s historic cobblestones, will be added.

Waters, who has made the renovation her passion project, said the improved sidewalks and downtown infrastructure signify a renewed sense of place for city residents.

“I am thrilled to see it,” Waters said. “The businesses, they deserve a good sidewalk in front of their place of business. The people deserve a nice downtown with nice sidewalks, and they deserve good lighting.”

“The people really deserve this project,” she added.

In an email to constituents on Thursday, Mayor Alan Casavant praised the project and said it falls in line with the city’s vision of revitalization, calling it a “source of pride” for the community.

“With our ongoing work on the River Walk and the ongoing redevelopment in the mills,” Casavant wrote, “We continue to redefine our community and create an extremely attractive and vibrant core: a core that will resonate for all throughout the city.”

— Staff Writer Alan Bennett can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or abennett@journaltribune.com.