Roadway improvements along the Central Street Corridor between Benton Avenue and Clay Avenue are expected to wrap up in January.
The phase II corridor project to continue “complete streets” improvements along Central Street between Benton and Clay avenues, includes a multi-use path on the north side of Central and a sidewalk on the south side. Intersection and signal improvements were made at Central Street and Drury Lane, as well as underground stormwater infrastructure improvements. The project also incorporates on-street parking, decorative street lighting and a grass-covered median. Gas, water, electrical and fiber utilities were updated within the project boundaries.
“Progress was slow going in the fall as the contractor worked through utility and stormwater work,” says project manager Nicholas Edelman. “We coordinated very closely with Drury and the contractor did what they could to accommodate school and sports traffic. We’ll wrap up the project a little later than anticipated but not by much.”
Sod and landscaping work will take place in the spring as temperatures rise.
“We’re excited to see this stretch of roadway reopen and function better as a route connecting pedestrians, bicyclists, transit as well as motorists to the variety of education and civic institutions in the area, ” added Edelman.
The project cost approximately $2.1 million and was funded through the 1/8-cent Transportation Sales Tax with reimbursements from City Utilities for the utility upgrades.