By MATT LINDSEY

POTSDAM -- The Maple Street bridge will receive a larger roadway and sidewalk as part of a $3.7M project that is scheduled to begin Tuesday, April 28, and last through fall.

The bridge will receive a major overhaul with improvements to include new structural steel and concrete.

"The road will be wider and the sidewalks will be too," said Michael Flick, NYSDOT Region 7 Public Information Officer.

The bridge, located between Main and Maple streets and over the Raquette River, will see a one-lane road going east with no traffic heading west into town.

To get around the construction work, motorists are advised to drive around the bypass on U.S. Highway 11 heading toward State Highway 56 and Market Street.

"Bridges receive inspections at least every two years and when we notice problems we inspect them more frequently. But this one is pretty standard, it didn't sneak up on us," Flick said.

Improvements to the bridge coincide with economic development plans to build a River Walk to showcase downtown Potsdam and the Raquette River.

"The bridge will be more user-friendly"," he said.

The Riverwalk will begin at the corner of Maple and Market Streets and travel west, crossing the twin bridges over the river, connect to a village-owned lane on the west side of the Raquette River behind Swan Landing Apartments, re-cross the river via Sandstoner Drive, connect at Garner Park and travel east on Raymond Street and turn south on Market returning to the starting point.

Funding for the bridge came from a variety of funding streams at both state and federal levels, Flick said.

Vector Contracting out of Syracuse was awarded the contract for the work.