CANTON -- The spokesman for the state Department of Transportation Region 7 says he and the staff at the Watertown office are ready to answer questions from businesspeople and others in Canton about the U.S. Rt. 11 project that will begin in May.

"If property owners or business owners have questions or concerns about their property, we have been and will continue to be happy to talk to them on a one-on-one basis," said the DOT's Michael Flick.

"If people have specific questions, I would encourage them to ask directly, so we may respond directly," he said.

As the beginning of construction nears, many people have expressed their concerns through a survey of businesses taken in February by downtown businesspeople Brad Mintener and Adam Jaffe. Mintener says many feel their questions have not been addressed.

Flick says many questions can be answered at the department's project web site at https://www.dot.ny.gov/regional-offices/region7/projects/cantonvillageproject. It includes project renderings and a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and answers.

In addition to those resources, Flick says there are contact numbers and email addresses on the web site for the Region 7 office.

But he says their established policy is that "We do not talk to one property owner or business owner about the specifics of someone else's property."

He also suggests that Village Superintendent Brien Hallahan is knowledgeable about the project and is a good conduit to DOT if he can't answer a question.

The $10 million project includes rebuilding a one-mile stretch of Main Street from Gouverneur Street to Stiles Avenue, and will include work on sidewalks, rebuilding a railroad crossing, and replacing old sewer and water lines under the pavement.

Contractors' bids will be opened and examined later this month. The award of the contract is expected in May, with work to begin shortly after the award.

The work will take up two construction seasons with a completion date in the autumn of next year.