Still On track
Despite weather delays, Clinton says upgrades should be festival-ready
Although pouring of concrete for the new sidewalks on Market Street in Historic Downtown Clinton was originally scheduled to be completed this week, weather has delayed the work, which may take about three more weeks, City Manager Roger Houck said Monday.
But Houck said the sidewalks, planters and landscaping are still on schedule to be finished by the weekend of the Clinch River Spring Antique Festival, on May 1-2.
“We plan to resume pouring concrete on Wednesday (March 18), and we should have the sidewalks ready by the time of the festival, but the street paving won’t begin until mid-May,” he said.”
“We are 77% complete as of today,” he added. “We’ve seen a lot of progress over the past two-and-a-half to three weeks.”
The city does plan to have Market Street open for street vendors during the festival, Houck said.
Motorists also will have to use detours around sections of Main Street again beginning this week, he said, as sewer line installation resumes.
“Beginning Wednesday, the part of Main from Broad to Kincaid streets will be closed as sewer laterals are being run from the buildings to the new sewer line in the street,” Houck said. “We hope they can open it back up in the evenings.”
That work and the accompanying closures of Main Street to vehicular traffic will move along the street as the lines are laid in each block.
Downtown merchants continue to remain optimistic about their businesses and the future as work gets closer to completion on the major upgrades to Market Street, which has been closed to traffic for extensive reconstruction since last March.
After the pouring of concrete is complete, “We will be working on the planters for the street, and then we should begin planting the 200 or so trees and plants that will go on Market Street.” Houck said.
“There will be new asphalt laid on Broad, Main, Market, Commerce and Cullom streets,” he said earlier. “We also hope to put new asphalt on the public parking lot on Commerce Street. It’s been 40-plus years since new asphalt was laid there.
“There’s just a lot of small stuff that’s got to be done,” he said. “As for broadband (Wi-Fi) for downtown, the conduit is already in for it.”
When that’s installed and up and running, there will be free Wi-Fi available all over the downtown business district, according to plans.
Even with the design changes to the street and sidewalks, Houck said there will still be on-street parking available on Market Street, and that some on-street parking also is being added to Cullom Street.
As for the downtown parking meters, “We’re still undecided,” he said.
The construction is part of a $9.9 million project that began in February 2025, and was expected to last for about 17 months, in the historic area of downtown Clinton. It includes new water and sewer lines, along with the new sidewalks and landscaping.
The Historic Downtown Clinton Merchants Association has reminded people all through the project that as far as possible, businesses on Market Street would be open as usual, except for brief periods at stores where sidewalk paving might block their only entrances for a few days.
According to the Historic Downtown Clinton organization, the completed project will include:
• Level spaces at building entrances.
• Twenty-inch seat walls with flower beds that include layered shrubs, grasses and perennials.
• On Pearl Alley, “gateway to Market Street – medium and flowering trees to frame the space between buildings.”
• A “two-sided historic-looking clock.”
• “Large canopy trees” to “provide a strong impact at key intersections.”
• “Medium canopy trees [to] provide a rhythm and a constant presence.”
• “Flowering trees [to] provide visual interest.”
• “Decorative bollards at parking spaces.”
• “Updated utilities and sewer infrastructure.”
Planning began in 2019, and the project is being financed in part by two Transportation Alternative Program, or TAP, grants, totaling $4.84 million, from the Tennessee Department of Transportation; a $2.3 million federal grant from the COVID-era American Rescue Act; $1.5 million from Clinton Utilities Board; and $1.2 million from the city of Clinton.
“Water and sewer had to be improved; they’re replacing lines close to 90 years old,” Houck said just before work began. “The TAP grants are to help make Market and Main streets more pedestrian friendly, adding landscaping, benches and other accessories to downtown.”
Knoxville-based Cannon & Cannon is doing engineering work on the project, while Adams Contractors of Lexington, Kentucky, is the main contractor, Houck said.
G. Chambers Williams III | The Courier News
This was the view down Market Street in Historic Downtown Clinton on Monday morning. Work is expected to resume on Wednesday (March 18) to pour concrete for the new sidewalks, City Manager Roger Houck said.
