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FROSTBURG -- The Ormand Street sewer separation project is winding down, with crews applying blacktop to half of the street Thursday.

The fresh layer of asphalt caps a project that has been ongoing most of the year, with the effort focused primarily on installing new stormwater-runoff lines beneath the street.

When sewer and stormwater lines are combined, as they are in most older communities, heavy rains overwhelm sewage-intake systems, resulting in overflows of raw sewage into streams during storms. In addition to fouling local waters, the overflows contribute to pollution in the Chesapeake Bay.

City officials announced at Thursday's meeting of the Mayor and City Council that Frostburg is about 25 percent of the way through a two-decade program - running through 2023 -- to eliminate "combined sewer overflows" (CSO) throughout the community.

The next area to be tackled in that ongoing effort is West Mechanic Street, running from Water Street west to High Street- the same segment as Ormand.

On Thursday the city awarded the contract for the Mechanic Street work to Lashley Construction, which submitted a bid of $1.2 million for the project. Work is expected to begin in the spring and wrap up by the end of the year.

While Ormand Street began solely as a CSO project, due to diligent cost-control measures the scope of the work was expanded to include new sidewalks as well. City officials credited inspector Mike Femi with keeping a close eye on the work, helping stretch the funding to allow modest streetscape improvements.

"We were able to provide sidewalks, which were very much needed," said Chris Hovatter, city engineer.

The new street surface will be in place just in time for the traditional Oct. 31 parking switch, when on-street parking moves from one side of the street to the other, to even out wear on the pavement.