SANDPOINT — A number of factors have slowed the downtown construction, leading contractors and city officials to determine the optional accelerated schedule, which would have seen the project completed by Thanksgiving, is not going to happen.

“Although typical for a project in any downtown, the contractor has encountered a variety of underground conflicts that simply take time to resolve,” Amanda Wilson, Sandpoint Infrastructure and Development Services manager, said in an email to the Daily Bee. “Additionally, resource challenges and time of year impacted the practicality of an accelerated schedule.”

While the city offered the contractor an incentive bonus of $200,000 to complete the work early, Sonray Enterprises, LLC, is not contractually obligated to do so. Per contract, they must only have the second phase of the downtown revitalization project completed by May 2020.

“The original contract milestones have not changed and the contractor will continue progressing work to complete the project by Lost in the ‘50s,” Wilson said.

The city awarded the $2,192,652.20 contract to Sonray Enterprises in July, and work started immediately after Labor Day weekend. The project focus is on First Avenue, from where crews left off at Second and Cedar in the first phase of the downtown revitalization last year, around the corner to First and down to Church Street.

The second phase of the project includes wider sidewalks and bulbouts, seat walls and planters, stormwater improvements, new trees, bike racks, benches, lighting and more.

Wilson said city officials are occasionally asked why they did not require the contractor to work two shifts. The answer, she said, is that legally they are unable to specify quantity of resources, though they can and did incentivize two shifts.

“However, the current construction market has made it impractical to work two shifts, especially at this time of year,” Wilson said. “Furthermore, being too restrictive equates to less or no bidders and/or results in project costs exceeding available funding.”

Nevertheless, the work will move forward. Concrete curb placement began this week and asphalt paving is scheduled for next week, weather dependent, Wilson said. The temporary fence will be removed and all work will shut down for the winter on or before Nov. 26. Sidewalk construction will occur as weather permits, though prior to shutting down for the winter, a five-foot wide hard surface will be provided for safe pedestrian access. Work is expected to resume in April.

A plan to install concrete crosswalks at the Main Street intersection on First was contingent on the accelerated schedule and have therefore been removed from the contract, Wilson said. The city still plans to have them installed next year, however.

An updated schedule and other project information is available on the project website sandpointstreets.com under the “Phase II” tab at the top of the page.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.