On Friday, Dec. 9, we opened Pennsylvania Avenue between 11th and 12th Streets. We expect to open the block from 10th to 11th Street by the end of the day on Friday, Dec. 16. The block from 9th to 10th will remain closed until after the new year. Having Pennsylvania reopened from 10th to 12th will improve access to all the businesses in that corridor.
As we continue to work with Cathcart to find ways to expedite the completion of the project, and after speaking with downtown businesses to get their input, we gave Cathcart approval to close 10th Street starting at 7 p.m. Sunday night, Dec. 11th, from Florida Avenue (including the intersection) to New York Avenue (that intersection will remain open). Cathcart plans to focus on the intersections of 10th & Florida and 10th & Pennsylvania first. Once the intersections are open, they will move west along 10th Street, starting at Florida, and open one block at a time. Cathcart says they need 10th Street closed to get the project done as quickly as possible.
Cathcart has provided the following schedule on when other segments are expected to reopen:
- 12/30/22 – 10th and Florida Ave intersection opened
- 1/13/23 – 10th Street from Florida to Penn & the Penn intersection
- 1/20/23 – 10th Street from Penn to NY
- 1/27/23 – 10th Street from NY to Mass
We also are continuing to operate our free downtown shuttle service, with six stops throughout the downtown area. We now offer stops at the Lakefront, shuffleboard courts, First United Methodist Church parking lot, City Hall, the Chamber of Commerce, and Fisk Funeral Home. The free shuttle operates weekdays from 1 to 5 p.m., based on input from downtown businesses on when their customers most need the service. We also offer extended hours during special events, such as the Downtown Monthly Market scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 14. We also will run the shuttle extended hours for the City’s Rockin’ the Cloud New Year’s Eve celebration on Dec. 31.
