Front Street Shipyard’s opening in Belfast four years ago and subsequent growth helped the city land a $1.9 million federal grant to pay for about half the cost of a road reconstruction project on Front Street.
The Bangor Daily News reported that the $3.8 million reconstruction project will begin next spring and will largely be completed by the end of next fall.
The project will add new storm drains, new sewers, new culverts and new water lines, and the section of the road from the water treatment plant to Pierce Street will be rebuilt to handle 200-ton loads, much higher than the usual city standard, the BDN reported.
City officials told the newspaper that the water line has needed replacing since at least 1998, but the shipyard’s significant presence on the waterfront allowed the city to secure the $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to pay for half of the work.
Even before the grant, Front Street Shipyard has been credited with transforming what was once a derelict area on Belfast’s waterfront into an economic driver for the area.
Read more
Front Street Shipyard creates a buzz about Belfast
Belfast shipyard expansion would create jobs
Front Street Shipyard launches partnership with Norwegian shipyard
$4M waterfront expansion could help bring Belfast ferry-building jobs