photo by: Nick Gerik

A newly reopened stretch of Ninth Street east of New Hampshire Street is pictured Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019.

A major stretch of Ninth Street that connects downtown to East Lawrence reopened Monday after months of construction.

Barriers to the roadway between New Hampshire and New Jersey streets had been removed and traffic was moving freely along the street Tuesday. The intersection of Ninth and Rhode Island streets will reopen in the coming days, the city said in a news release.

Work on nearby sidewalks and other tasks will continue through the winter, the city said, and parking lanes along the street will remain blocked for use by construction crews.

The street, including a major intersection at Connecticut Street, had been closed and detours had been in place since July as crews made improvements to the road, sidewalks and storm sewers.

The first phase of the project was originally scheduled to be complete by the end of November, but the discovery of an old limestone storm sewer line caused a delay.

A second phase of construction along Ninth Street is now scheduled to begin in March, with closures expected further east between Connecticut and Delaware streets. During that phase of construction, either New York Street or New Jersey Street will remain open across Ninth Street, the city said Tuesday.