The Town of Hamlet’s plan to upgrade Railroad Street is starting to draw interest from paving contractors. Engineer Lee Nagai told the town council last week that four companies have expressed interest.

“Three of them have come and looked at it,” he said. “I sent plans and sent the specs and bid documents to a fourth. They have not called me yet to come visit the site, but I have a feeling they might be working with somebody else. So I think we’ll get at least three bids. I’m guardedly optimistic that this is going to draw some attention.” Bids will be opened during a special town council meeting on Friday, September 7 at 4:00 p.m.

Among other things, the project would restore Railroad Street back to an appropriate width. Some pieces of sidewalk may also be replaced, but Nagai says some trees would have to be removed in order for that to happen. Town officials plan to get input from homeowners before deciding how to proceed.

The Town of Hamlet plans to apply for a Community Crossings grant to help fund the proposed Railroad Street improvements.