Clayton’s major construction project resumes, already ahead of schedule

CLAYTON, N.Y. (WWNY) - Construction crews are back to work in Clayton.

They were out bright and early Monday installing water and sewer lines on Mary Street.

Meanwhile, work has wrapped up on burying wires underground and fixing up sidewalks on James and Webb streets as well as Riverside Drive.

It’s all part of a 2 year, roughly $9.3 million project aimed at bettering the village.

“A lot of what’s going to be done this year is going to be stuff I’m going to call above ground. The bulk of the utility work has been completed. So that leaves sidewalk, curb, plantings. You know, the nice stuff, the things that kind of finish up the job,” said Mike Flick, DOT spokesperson.

Construction in Clayton is a few months ahead of schedule and it looks like that the pandemic may have played a role in speeding up the process.

Local businesses are looking forward to seeing the dust settle.

“Excited for the cones to be gone,” said Amber Parliament, who works at Clayton’s Koffee Kove.

In the fall of 2019, construction crews began digging, fixing, and tearing things up to make a better downtown.

“They moved things along pretty quickly with this infrastructure project and they were very efficient and very nice,” said Parliament.

Businesses like Kofee Kove had to weather the storms brought on, not only by excavators and bulldozers, but by COVID-19.

But, there may have been a silver lining when it came to the pandemic. It actually pushed construction ahead of schedule.

The Department of Transportation says work should be completed by late summer if weather cooperates, instead of late fall.

It’s what workers at businesses along the construction route, like Michael Ringer’s St. Lawrence Galleries, want to hear.

“With COVID they were a couple of months ahead of schedule, which is great because now we are going into the spring - summer here and just have it wrapped up and go on,” said Kevin Topa, Michael Ringer’s St. Lawrence Galleries director.

Village Mayor Norma Zimmer thanks the community for their patience.

“The community has been behind it and that’s been helpful and I hope the people that come will appreciate what we’ve done,” she said.

And if all goes well, the village will ditch the cones by July or August.

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