Safco Excavating & Construction, of Hayden, Idaho, is working on a $2.1 million construction project for the city of Coeur d'Alene to repave Fourth Street, a main thoroughfare in Coeur d'Alene's commercial district, and add decorative streetscaping to encourage pedestrian traffic there.

The project will cost about $2.9 million altogether, including design and construction costs, says Dennis Spencer, a Safco spokesman. It was designed by Dell Hatch Design Studio PC, of Coeur d'Alene, and the Coeur d'Alene office of Boise-based J-U-B Engineers Inc. The work is being paid for by the city of Coeur d'Alene, the Lake City Development Corp., and with money collected from property owners there through a local improvement district.

Between Lakeside and Harrison avenues, all of the aging roadway, sidewalks, and curbs will be replaced. The contractor also will add new benches and decorative lighting.

About 25 trees along that stretch of the one-way northbound street will be removed, and the contractor will plant 120 new trees of different varieties.

Safco will add slightly up-sloped intersections paved with two-tone brick pavers at Fourth's intersections with Foster, Roosevelt, Boise, Montana, and Miller avenues.

Spencer says "ramping up" the intersections in that way will make them more appealing for pedestrians and will add a visual element on the roadway that also will serve to slow traffic through those sections. Decorative concrete will be used in the sidewalks.

The work also will include reconstructing the storm-water system, replacing a sewer main and upgrading the water main there.

Safco has begun work on the pavement section between Foster and Miller, Spencer says. When the road work in that section is completed, the company will begin paving work between Lakeside and Foster.

Meanwhile, the curbing and sidewalks will be installed in the first section. Then, while the road work is being done on the third and final section, between Miller and Harrison, the sidewalks and curbing will be done in the second section, Spencer says. The whole project should be completed around mid-October, he says.

Parts of Fourth will be closed during daytime hours while the work continues, but the street will be open to traffic every day after 5 p.m. and on weekends during construction, even where portions of the road have a dirt surface, Spencer says.