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Construction on the Kent Streetscape project began after 14 years of planning. Construction crew makes curb cuts along Bridge Street on Tuesday afternoon. August 2, 2022, Kent Conn.

Construction on the Kent Streetscape project began after 14 years of planning. Construction crew makes curb cuts along Bridge Street on Tuesday afternoon. August 2, 2022, Kent Conn.

Construction on the Kent Streetscape project began after 14 years of planning. Construction crew makes curb cuts along Bridge Street on Tuesday afternoon. August 2, 2022, Kent Conn.

Construction on the Kent Streetscape project began after 14 years of planning. Construction crew makes curb cuts along Bridge Street on Tuesday afternoon. August 2, 2022, Kent Conn.

KENT — Crews have been on the streets of Kent as construction on the town’s streetscape project begins.

The roughly $3 million project, which involves replacing approximately 11,000 linear feet of sidewalks, has been 14 years in the making. The work is expected to be completed in about 180 days.

Kent First Selectman Jean Speck said once the project is completed, "It's going to be a game changer for our village center.”

She added aside from “the attractiveness,” the end result of the project will be a “level, reliable walking surface for our residents.”

The existing sidewalks, which are made of asphalt with asphalt curbing, “are subject to weather and age and plows,” Speck said.

The asphalt sidewalks will be replaced with concrete sidewalks with granite curbing.

Contractors are making curb cuts on North Main and Bridge streets. The cuts will eventually be excavated to provide workspace for the contractors during demolition and construction.

After a bidding process in February, the town selected Mather Corp. in Bloomfield to do phase one of the work, which is Route 7 from the Soldiers’ Monument to the railroad tracks. On the east side of the street, the work extends to the crosswalk. On the west side, it ends at the Fife ‘n Drum Restaurant & Inn parking lot, where a new crosswalk will be installed.

Mather had done a sidewalk repair project in Salisbury's village center, and Speck said she thought they did a good job.

Phase one will cost about $1.7 million.

Phase two will include Route 7 south of the Soldiers’ Monument, to Kent Greenhouse & Gardens, and 341 East on the south side of the street, which is the firehouse side. On the north side, it will go to Maple Street Extension and end at Stuart Farm Apartments, and include the south side of Lane Street.

Phase two’s start date is not yet known.

"We're in the design engineering phase of that, so it’s gonna be probably three or four months before we hear back. It's with the DOT (Department of Transportation) for their review,” Speck said. “We’ll probably hear back in the fall.”

Speck said Kent's tourism has grown substantially over the past 21/2 years, and the new sidewalks couldn’t have come at a better time for the town.

"We are definitely a destination in town for people to come to, and I think it's because we not only have this amazing village downtown but a very classic New England shopping experience and dining experience," said Speck, of the town, which has about 3,000 residents. "There's over a dozen restaurants that you can choose from in our little town and they're all very different,” she said.

Dining options include Kent Falls Brewing Co. & Tasting Room on Camps Road, J.P. Gifford Market & Catering Company on North Main Street, Fife 'n Drum Restaurant & Inn on North Main Street and Ore Hill & Swyft on Maple Street.

The town also is known for its hiking trails.

“You can drive five minutes to over 35 miles of hiking trails,” Speck said.

The Appalachian Trail comes through Kent, so hikers often come through, she said.

"That's a big, big draw. You can pick it up at Bulls Bridge and go all the way along a ridge line that comes right through Kent, and basically have a vista of the entire valley area of where our town is,” she added.

It has a welcome center with public bathrooms and a hot shower.

“For $2, you can get a hot shower and a bottle filler, which is a huge draw to through hikers where you can fill up your bottle with good clean water,” she said.

The Kent Land Trust has over 3,000 acres preserved and 10 different preserves for hiking, Speck said.

She added growing numbers of residents are shopping in town and also, many are staying there.

“First and foremost, we always want to think about our residents, but also, we rely heavily on visitors,” Speck said. “And I always think of visitors as potential new residents."

Speck credits her predecessor for the project coming to fruition.

"I have to give major kudos to (former First Selectman) Bruce Adams because it was under his watch that this whole concept really was growing. He applied for the grants. It's hats off to him for caring about the village center like he did," Speck said.

She added the new sidewalks are "really going to be reinvigorating for our town."

sandra.fox@hearstmediact.com 203-948-9802