Ketchum's Main Street construction faces delays

Main Street in downtown Ketchum has been undergoing construction for months, involving sidewalk demolition, curbs and gutter installation, and roadway repaving.

• Originally set to conclude by Tuesday, July 2, the project has now been delayed until July 22 due to supply and contractor shortages.
• The city provides updates on projectketchum.org/main-street.

(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)

"What I like to say about road construction is it's one of our seasons here," said Scott Mason, owner of Enoteca, a popular Italian wine bar and restaurant on Main Street.

Since April, construction crews have been at work on Main Street in downtown Ketchum. The project includes sidewalk demolition, curbs and gutter installation, and roadway repaving — work many residents say is needed.

"It's been a problem for many years, and they are now addressing the problem they should've dealt with many years ago," says one Ketchum resident.

But the work that was slated to end July 2, prior to the July 4th holiday, has now been postponed to July 22, citing the unavailability of supplies and contractors as the cause for the delay. The city has written to business owners, asking for their input on what can be done to make Main Street more inviting to visitors in the meantime.

"If you're trying to come up during business hours, it's really difficult," Mason said. "The town is very crowded, and we like that — it makes it feel like a resort town, which it is. However, it's difficult for people from out of town to get around, as well. They can't quite figure out how to get to the places they want to go."

Short-term visitors echo that sentiment. "When I go to Main Street, I find it difficult, especially with the detours. It's hard to know where you're going. One specific time we wanted to go right across Main Street, I guess it was, to go to a different bar, and we couldn’t get there because of all the construction. So we ended up just not going," say two visitors in Ketchum.

But at the end of the day, "Oh, it'll be great when it's done," says Mason. Residents look forward to the road improvements.