$34M in public funds earmarked for upgrades of Sanford roads, sidewalks and parking

Courtesy / City of Sanford/Facebook Sanford will receive a fresh injection of $34 million to rehabilitate key transportation infrastructure in the city’s commercial center.

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By Laurie Schreiber

Investors are bullish on Sanford these days, with rising demand for new construction, commercial expansions and relocations, and megadeal investments in the housing market.

Now the Maine Department of Transportation has agreed to a fresh injection of $34 million to rehabilitate key transportation infrastructure in the city’s commercial center.

The Downtown Sanford Village Partnership Initiative is designed to enhance roads, sidewalks and streetlights. The goal is to make downtown Sanford safer and more attractive for commercial and residential development, improve parking, and build a much-needed park-and-ride facility for hundreds of people who commute daily to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, according to a news release.

The investment is supported by federal funds, including a $25 million Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant and approximately $7.1 million in matching funds from the MaineDOT and the city of Sanford.

MaineDOT Commissioner Bruce Van Note said his agency worked with the city to secure the discretionary grants.

“This infrastructure investment in our downtown has been on the horizon for a long time,” Sanford Mayor Anne-Marie Mastraccio said Monday.

Former mill town

Sanford is one of several former Maine mill communities that has suffered from decades of disinvestment.

Leaders in the fast-growing York County community of 21,000 have made significant progress in recent years to improve Sanford’s infrastructure, such as nearly $2.3 million in roadway improvements in a neighborhood called Westside Village, which is west of the city’s downtown.

But challenges remain.

Outdated streets and sidewalks make pedestrian travel unsafe and contribute to traffic challenges. Lack of parking and inadequate street lighting pose a challenge to those looking to open or conduct businesses in the downtown commercial district.

Modernization

Money invested by the Downtown Sanford Village Partnership Initiative will enable the city to update streets, curbs and sidewalks, make crosswalks more accessible, and construct parking spaces that can accommodate electric vehicles.

The project will modernize utility ducts and improve drainage with modern stormwater filtration.

A new 80-spot park-and-ride facility will also be built between Main Street and Shawmut Avenue that will be geared toward helping improve carpool options for workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard as well as other area employers.

As of 2020, 524 residents in Sanford and the Village of Springvale commuted to the Shipyard in Kittery. With limited parking options, Shipyard officials have specifically requested the development of the facility.

“The Downtown Sanford Village Partnership will attract the economic and housing development the city needs to thrive,” said Gov. Janet Mills in a prepared release announcing the partnership between the city and the MDOT.