BRUNSWICK

Street flooding on Union Street will become a thing of the past once utility repairs take place this summer.

Some businesses, however, are concerned the impact the construction project will have on them, given the expected road closures and detours.

According to John Foster, Brunswick Public Works Director, there will be road intersection closures and restricted access in places. The town’s contractor, Crooker Construction aims to start work by mid-March and to finish by June 30 before summer traffic gets heavy.

A public meeting on the project is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Thursday at the People Plus meeting room at 35 Union St., and will look at improvements to Union Street between Mill and Cedar streets, the traffic impact and the anticipated construction schedule.

According to the meeting announcement, the town hopes to accommodate traffic and maintain access to abutting properties.

“However, full closure of sections of Union Street to vehicular traffic for a week or more at a time will be required to allow the replacement of all storm drain lines, sewer lines and water lines,” the notice states.

Parking on Union Street will be prohibited in work areas, and pedestrian access will also be limited at times. Once the utility work is complete, Union Street will be fully repaved from Mill Street to Pleasant Street.

Foster said the work is a continuation of the storm drain upgrade project that started last fall that ran across Maine Street and up Mill Street. Already, that work has improved the water drainage. Union Street floods, he said, and the current storm drain system is “way under capacity.”

The Union Street project will replace 15-inch pipe with a 36-inch plastic pipe with a much higher water capacity. The current vitrified clay pipe system has joints every 4 feet that crack over time, and the pipes are brittle and catch debris. They are unable to handle the increasingly frequent and intense rain storms.

The Brunswick Sewer Department and Brunswick and Topsham Water District partnered with the town to undertake needed utility upgrades while the road is dug up. The utilities are also paying for part of the work, which will total approximately $1.2 million.

Pipes connecting homes and businesses to the water main will need replacing as well, and temporary water will be provided.

Foster said Crooker has planned for the project to take four months. He said the town will work on a system to keep everyone informed of the work, expected closures, parking options and how to access businesses in the construction zone.

“We encourage everyone to visit businesses in the area,” Foster said.

Representatives from the town as well as the sewer and water districts will be at the meeting Thursday.