If you’re frustrated with having to climb steps to get from your car to the sidewalk in downtown Kewanee, help is on the way.

A $3.5 million improvement program will bring sidewalks down to street level, making at least four blocks of the downtown more accessible.

The project will also include street resurfacing and “a lot of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements,” said Shane Larson, senior vice president of Hutchison Engineering in Peoria.

The Hutchinson firm is designing and overseeing Kewanee’s downtown project. The firm has handled similar “remodelings” of downtowns in a number of other communities.

Larson said the Kewanee project will involve four blocks of downtown streets: Main Street from First to Third Street, Second Street from Main Street to Tremont Street and Tremont Street from Second Street to Third Street.

“The biggest part is removing and replacing all curbs and gutters and sidewalks,” he said.

The curb extensions and ramps that were installed during a downtown revamping in the mid-1970s will be removed and sidewalks will be brought down to street level, Larson said.

The four blocks will also be resurfaced. This spring, city crews replaced water service lines to several downtown buildings in anticipation of the resurfacing.

The city received a grant of federal funds that were issued through the Illinois Department of Economic Opportunity. That grant of around $3 million will be matched by a city contribution of around $300,000.

Right now, Larson said, the engineers are finalizing bid documents for the downtown work. He anticipated that the work will start by late summer.

That schedule, of course, will put the workers side by side with the Hog Festival.

“Obviously, we’re super aware of that,” Larson said. He said the engineers and contractors will work with Hog Festival leaders minimize any conflicts.

Larson said the project is scheduled to be completed sometime next summer.