New detours set as Main Street work advances
A section of Main Street from Church to Leinart streets continued to be blocked to vehicular traffic on Monday, and will remain that way until work moves into the Phase 3 area, from Leinart to Broad streets, perhaps sometime this week.
Most of Market Street also continues to be closed to vehicles, but all downtown stores remain open and in business.
The Main Street closure is a continuation of the schedule announced in mid-August, warning that it would be shut down in three sections and phases, two times each, from Aug. 24 through Nov. 24.
In the first phase, Main Street was closed from Cullom to Church streets Aug. 24 until week before last.
After Phase 3 is completed, the three-step process will repeat, with the final work planned to be finished in late November to mid-December, weather permitting.
Traffic disruptions are the result of street, sidewalk and utility construction work that has already kept most of Market Street shut down since mid-July, blocking vehicular access to the fronts of most of the downtown businesses along Market Street.
All of the Market and Main street businesses remain open throughout the construction, with parking available in the two downtown parking lots – on Commerce Street and on North Main Street at North Hicks Street.
Even with Market and part of Main Street closed, the Clinch River Fall Antique Festival was held successfully last weekend, with the usual Market Street vendors set up instead in part of the Commerce Street parking lot.
Even with the streets closed, Historic Downtown Clinton merchants remain open and accessible to visitors, Houck said.
For the current Main Street shutdown (Phase 2), from Church to Leinart streets, the detour routes are:
• Southbound traffic (toward Market Street): Follow East Church Street to North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard to Kincaid Street as the designated detour.
• Northbound traffic (toward Market Street): Follow Kincaid Street to North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard to East Church Street as the designated detour.
For Phase 3, detour routes will be:
• Southbound traffic (toward Market Street): Follow Kincaid Street to North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard to Broad Street as the designated detour.
• Northbound traffic (toward Market Street): Follow Broad Street to North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard to Kincaid Street as the designated detour.
The closures will repeat when the “concrete segment” of the Main Street work begins, tentatively scheduled for Nov. 3-24:
Phase 1: Nov. 3-10, the section of Main Street between Kincaid Street and Broad Street will be closed for construction.
Detour routes:
• Southbound traffic (toward Market Street): Follow Kincaid Street to North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard to Broad Street as the designated detour.
• Northbound traffic (toward Market Street): Follow Broad Street to North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard to Kincaid Street as the designated detour.
Phase 2: Nov. 10-17, the section of Main Street between East Church Street and Kincaid Street will be closed.
Detour routes:
• Southbound traffic (toward Market Street): Follow East Church Street to North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard to Kincaid Street as the designated detour.
• Northbound traffic (toward Market Street): Follow Kincaid Street to North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard to East Church Street as the designated detour.
Phase 3: Nov. 17-24, the section of Main Street between East Church Street and Cullom Street will be closed.
Detour routes:
• Southbound traffic (toward Market Street): Follow North Hicks Street to West Broad Street to Main Street as the designated detour.
• Northbound traffic (toward Market Street): Follow West Broad Street to North Hicks Street to Main Street as the designated detour.
The schedule for the Main Street closures and the detour routes during those shutdowns are detailed online at clintontn.net/o/clinton/page/main-street.
This is part of a $9.9 million project that began in late February and is expected to last for about 17 months total in the historic area of downtown Clinton as new water and sewer lines are installed, sidewalks are replaced and improved, and landscaping is added.