Construction on a $10 million revamp of Concord’s downtown will begin this fall, after the City Council voted 14-1 to approve the project at a meeting this week.
The rebuild and redesign of Concord’s downtown will affect nine blocks of Main Street, from Centre Street to Concord Street.
At-Large City Councilor Fred Keach says the goal is to keep disruption during construction to a minimum for downtown businesses.
“There’s obviously some fear by the downtown merchants as to what degree all the construction disruption is going to impact their businesses, but I think the city and the contractor have developed a plan that really minimizes that impact.”
The project includes widening sidewalks and making the entrances to 18 businesses handicapped accessible.
The city will use nearly $5 million in federal funding and $500,000 in federal tax credits to help cover construction costs.
The project is scheduled for completion in 2016.