Clinton’s $9.9 million makeover nears finish
Chase Hunter of Adams Contracting works traffic control along Main Street in downtown Clinton on Monday morning as a crew from his company prepares to repave the street near the turnoff to Market Street. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
“If all goes well and weather permits, the paving work on Main Street will be finished Thursday,” Clinton City Manager Roger Houck said Monday afternoon.
Traffic was diverted off of Main on Monday as a crew from Adams Contracting worked on repaving the street between Cullom and Church streets.
That work began in earnest last week.
Also last week, wrought-iron handrails were installed along the steps on Market Street’s newly rebuilt sidewalks.
There are several sets of the steps on both sides of Market, helping to keep the sidewalks relatively level at store entrances.
To accommodate disabled people, especially those in wheelchairs, there are ramps along the sides of the new walkways where the steps have been placed.
As for the project in general, which began in February 2025, “There’s still about six weeks of small stuff to be done,” Houck said. “That includes wiring for the downtown speakers that will be used to play music for shoppers.
“Most of everything you can see is already done; we just have the small details left,” Houck said.
“Once we get the brewery and its restaurant and some other places open, we will be seeing a lot more people coming downtown.”
Clinton celebrated the reopening of Market Street on July 2 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, after a shutdown of the street that lasted nearly a year-and-a-half.
In the two weeks before that event, Market, Commerce and Cullom streets were completely repaved with asphalt, as were parking areas behind the buildings on the north side of Market Street.
Workers put the finishing touches on the new sidewalks, lights and planters along Market Street. The lights, on top of decorative posts, were turned on, as well.
Repaving of Main Street was the last big part of project, which included new water and sewer lines, along with the new sidewalks and landscaping.
The big downtown parking lot on Commerce Street is also scheduled for re-paving.
Downtown merchants say they’re excited about their future on Market Street with all the improvements.
