By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES — When thousands of people flock to the Causeway for Independence Day fireworks, their gazes will be toward the sky.

Meanwhile, it is where those people are standing that has changed, and is still under construction.

Work on the sidewalks will be completed in another two to three weeks.

That is according to Craig Hurd, the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) resident engineer on the Bay of Naples Bridge and Causeway construction project.

But, that task will not impede the flow of foot traffic on the Causeway.

“It shouldn’t impact too much. People can walk on the sidewalk, except where we are working. Then, you will have to go around,” Hurd said.

The concrete for the sidewalks was placed last autumn. The issue is that the concrete is spalling.

“Spalling is when little pieces of concrete flake off,” Hurd said.

“We are scarifying it to put an architectural treatment on the sidewalks,” he said.

“Basically, with scarifying, you take off all the screw stuff and expose the aggregate. Then, we are going to seal it,” Hurd explained.

Unfortunately, the construction crew cannot focus only on the problem areas, but must re-do the entire stretch of sidewalk.

Hurd said the drawback is that even the areas of sidewalk that are not spalling must get the same treatment — grinding it down to the aggregate and using a water repellent sealant.

“It will take two or three weeks. Then, two to three days to seal it afterwards,” he said.

According to Causeway Restoration Committee (CRC) Chairman Bob Neault, “MDOT and the contractor came up with a proposed plan to move forward that would take less time.”