Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

As specified by the Main Street High Side Project newsletter, the project is dedicated “to make improvements on the High Side of Main Street (the side with steps) between Broadway Street and Lexington Avenue. The project aims to improve access for all users and enhance safety, mobility, and the appearance of downtown Winchester.” 

Those wandering the area might have seen signs of the project continuing recently. 

According to the newsletter, city leadership met with representatives from The Allen Company, a leading road construction and asphalt paving contractor, on Wednesday, March 26, for a pre-construction discussion. The meeting featured a discussion on the timeline and logistics of the project. 

The goal for project completion has been set. 

“We have a goal for early November,” said City of Winchester Strategic Communications and Downtown Development Director Whitney Leggett, adding that this could not necessarily be guaranteed. “A lot of things can delay construction, whether that’s weather or getting materials in.” 

Final contracts were expected to be completed by the last week of March and early April, and initial construction efforts—such as signage and safety fence installation —were undertaken. 

Once safety fences are installed, construction crews plan to leave approximately five feet of sidewalk open for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)–compliant travel. 

A pre-construction surveyor was expected to be in the area beginning the last Monday of March, with demolition expected to start the week of April 14. 

An early step of construction will be the safe removal and preservation of five-globe lampposts that serve as an icon for the City of Winchester, a matter that Leggett acknowledges has led to several questions. 

“They’ll store them safely in a city facility,” she said. “The intention is to reinstall them as close to where they are currently post-construction so that those iconic lampposts will be returned to downtown Winchester.” 

According to the newsletter, “[a]ccess to downtown businesses will remain available throughout construction…at no time should access to any businesses be fully blocked during construction.” 

However, downtown business owners are encouraged to promote the use of back entrances when at all possible. 

During construction, city leadership encourages residents and visitors to support local businesses, including Laura’s Mercantile, High Speed Collectibles, The Happy Corner, Mason on Main, Amy’s Asian Kitchen, Whiskey and Wiles Photography, Erika’s Vocal Studio, The HighSide Boutique, Hamilton Brooks Design, The Hall Coffee & Social Club, Harlow’s Luxe Living, Loma’s at the Opera House, The Engine House Pizza Pub, and more. 

City Commissioner Kitty Strode reiterated this during the Winchester City Commission meeting on Tuesday, April 1. 

“I would just like to reiterate to the public…[to] please visit our businesses in this block of Main [Street],” she said, encouraging patience through the process as well. “We’re going to try to make it as easy as possible.” 

Leggett concurred. 

“They’re going to need it more than ever during this project,” she said. “Please don’t forget that downtown is open for business while construction is happening.” 

She added that the City will soon post information about a grant program designed to support downtown businesses, with details to become readily available as soon as possible.  

According to the newsletter, construction will begin on the High Side of the street near Lexington Avenue and move toward Broadway Street. Once the High Side is complete, construction will start on the low side. 

During construction, parking won’t be available on the portion of Main Street from Lexington Avenue to Broadway Street. Yet a committee has been working to secure additional parking opportunities downtown and will be prepared to share a map to assist with parking in the coming weeks. 

Main Street should remain open to traffic during construction. The construction zones will be reduced to two lanes of traffic to allow more space for work to take place. The turning lanes will be eliminated. At times, traffic could be reduced to one direction or short closures for the movement of equipment, though the road should remain passable most of the time. 

As specified in the newsletter, “[t]he City of Winchester remains committed to communicating to residents and visitors any closures or shifts in traffic as soon as possible.” 

Going forward, the City of Winchester and representatives from the Allen Company will meet bi-weekly for construction check-ins and updates. The City will provide updates through this newsletter after those meetings and more frequently at times as well. 

For more information, the newsletter – with the goal of a new edition being added every other week – can be subscribed to at the link: 

https://winchesterky.com/1086/Main-Street-High-Side-Project. 

The Facebook page “City of Winchester, KY Community Information” will also provide updates. 

Leggett expressed enthusiasm for the future of the project. 

“We’re really excited about [it],” she said. “We think it’s going to make the downtown really attractive. It’s going to approve accessibility to the area.”