From the City…
The bricking work of the Downtown Mall Restoration that began in January has now passed the midway point with four out of the seven blocks complete. Café space is now opening at many restaurants where the blocks have been completed and the Block Parties to announce completion of specific blocks continues through April. Significant completion of the project is on schedule to be met by May 1st.
The next phase of the project will include work to add protective grates to the trees as well as lighting in the tree canopy to span the entire mall. In addition, the light system will be upgraded and the fountains will be refurbished. Significant work will need to be done at the two cross-over streets, 2nd Street West and 4th Street, that will require the City to close the two streets beginning the first week of April and lasting most of the month. CTS bus traffic at 2nd Street will be re-routed during that period and local traffic will have limited access to those side streets but will not be able to cross the Mall during that period. Here is an update on some other enhancements with the restoration project:
Public Safety Improvements – Many of the changes on the Downtown Mall have been designed to improve the access of the Fire Department and improve their ability to fight fires if necessary:
- Slight relocation of some lights – This is designed to improve turning radii to give trucks greater access.
- Wider Fire Lane – The fire lane has been widened from 14 feet to 16 feet for the length of the mall. To help keep cafes from encroaching into the fire lane each café corner will be marked with a black granite brick, making it clear where all the corners are.
- Bollard Removal – The black bollards located in the center at each intersecting street have been removed. This too will improve the turning radii for trucks.
- Fire Hydrants – One new fire hydrant has been added on the Mall.
Related posts:
- City to Sell Original Downtown Mall Bricks to the Public During Restoration
- CITIZENS BEWARE: In the Future the Downtown Mall Will Be Inhabited by Ghosts
- Traffic Smaffic: Be Forewarned
Also there seem to be several spiffy cross walk embellishments going up on Water Street.
Plus you just never get to use the word “radii” enough.
I walked by Rapture the other day in heels and didn’t fall on my face. Yay new bricks!
“The black bollards located in the center at each intersecting street have been removed.”
Then how will we know where to go to buy crack?
/Oh, I thought “bollard” was Sweet Town slang.
That cheap labor kinda shows though – those bricks are not nearly as tight as the ones that were done a few years ago. I can’t help wondering if they would have done a better job with shorter bricks because you can get them tighter or it was just poor standards.