WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Construction began this week to rehabilitate and upgrade the South Main Street parking lot, part of a broader $1.7 million project intended to increase downtown parking availability, improve public safety and pedestrian accessibility and upgrade stormwater infrastructure.

Once complete, the new downtown lot will have 37 additional parking spots, increasing the number of spaces in the lot to 188. There will also be additional accessible parking spaces and a walkway compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The project will include lighting upgrades for public safety, additional EV charging stations, a pedestrian connection to new sidewalks on Currier Street and aesthetic improvements. The lot will also upgrade the stormwater infrastructure and increase aisle widths to accommodate emergency vehicles and improve vehicle circulation.

Work began Tuesday in the west end of the South Main Street lot, where construction crews began removing existing pavement and clearing trees and vegetation, according to a news release issued by the town. The initial work also will involve excavating trenches for the lighting conduits.

The construction is planned so that some parking spaces will remain open while crews work in other sections of the lot. However, the number of available spaces will be significantly reduced during construction, which is scheduled to be “substantially complete” by the end of October, Project Manager Christopher Holzwarth said in a written update.

“There will (also) be a short period of time when the entire parking lot is closed to fine grade and pave the lot,” Hartford Planning Director Lori Hirshfield said in an email. “That schedule will be determined and released a minimum of one week in advance.”

To offset the loss of spaces, the town has worked with private lot owners to open several temporary alternative parking areas to public use, according to Town Planner Matt Osborn.

These alternative parking areas — which contain a combined 108 spaces — include the District Courthouse and train station lots on Railroad Row, the Tip Top building lot at 85 N. Main St., the Consolidated Communications lot on Gates Street and the North Main Street lot across from Bugbee Senior Center.

The South Main Street parking lot is considered valuable public infrastructure to the downtown economy, providing 151 municipal spaces close to restaurants, retail shops and entertainment venues.

Jason Smoller, managing director at Northern Stage, said the theater’s staff is looking forward to the increase in parking spaces, as well as the other upgrades.

“It’s important to point out that some of the improvements are safety-oriented, which we are very excited about,” Smoller said in a phone interview. “And the new green space will make this area more attractive in the long term.”

Smoller said he believes the current reduction in spaces will have only a minor impact on Northern Stage when its next production, “Selling Kabul,” opens Oct. 11.

“None of the (downtown alternative lots) are more than a three-minute walk from the theater,” Smoller said.

Smoller also complimented the town’s communication with private businesses, as well as the plan to phase the construction to minimize the loss of parking spaces.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2571 — whose property abuts the South Main Street lot — could not be reached for comment.

Town staff held a public information meeting on Aug. 23 to explain the project to residents and field questions.

The construction project was awarded to Nott’s Excavating, a company based in Hartford. The estimated construction cost is $1.3 million for the parking lot rehabilitation and $325,000 for the paving improvements on Currier Street. Voters approved bonds in 2017 and in 2020 to finance both projects.

Patrick Adrian may be reached at padrian@vnews.com or at 603-727-3216.