OGUNQUIT — The $13.5 million U.S. Route 1 Improvement project that will reconstruct the main throughway in Ogunquit will paused for the summer Sunday in order to accommodate tourism and summer traffic, according to the Maine Department of Transportation.

The project is slated to make a number of improvements to transportation in Ogunquit, including adding sidewalks along both sides of Route 1 throughout Ogunquit, improving drainage along the watersheds and managing erosion. The Town of Ogunquit will contribute $1.8 million toward the sidewalks and general beautification of the area.

Another key infrastructure improvement to Route 1 will be the construction of two bridges over the Josias and Ogunquit Rivers. Work on these bridges will continue, MDOT says, however crews have constructed temporary bridges to allow traffic to flow smoothly.

According to Maine Department of Transportation Project Manager Eric Martin, Ogunquit swells from 3,500 people to nearly 35,000 people in the summer, which would create interruptions if construction were to continue.

The winning bid made by Grondin Construction in Gorham required minimal disruption during the summer months.

“We really try to employ as many methods as we can on” Facebook, Twitter “to get as much information out there as possible,” MDOT Press Secretary Ted Talbot said, and accommodating tourism and a harsh Maine winter “is part of the challenge of having a short construction season.”

Thomas Fortier, the Ogunquit town manager, during the town manager’s report at the June 16 meeting of the Select Board reported that several telephone poles were placed in the middle of sidewalks on the Wells town line.

Fortier said that this was not part of the engineering plan and may have been the result of striking FairPoint workers. However, the MDOT said the utility poles will be moved shortly.

“It’s winding down” especially toward the (Ogunquit) Playhouse and towards the outer edges of the town. “It’s starting to shape up and look really nice,” Fortier said.

This week, the construction crews will pave from the Ogunquit Playhouse to the bridge, from Captain Thomas Road to the Post Road Tavern, add stripes to Route 1, add crosswalks for summer pedestrians and Phillips Bridge near Bourne Lane will be dismantled. Maine DOT will be holding a public hearing in Ogunquit in August to get feedback from residents before the project resumes after Labor day.