The section of First Street between McKinley and Fillmore streets continues to look incomplete but has officially been reopened to traffic.
The City of Phoenix’s vision for First Street is slowly becoming a reality as street lights have been installed and work continues on landscape and irrigation installation on the east side of the street.
Sidewalk and curb installation is ongoing on the west side of the construction zone, while landscape, irrigation and pavers have yet to be placed. The street is scheduled to be fully paved by mid-October.
Once construction on First Street is complete, the city will begin phase two by narrowing Pierce Street between Central Avenue and First Street mid-October. This phase is scheduled to last for two months.
Phase two will also include restoration of sidewalks with historic glass block skylights, which will make room for an artist-designed shade structure that will be installed on the north side of Pierce Street near the Phoenix Public Market Urban Grocery and Wine Bar in February. The shade structure was chosen from a national design competition.
Keith Mulvin, an employee at the Phoenix Public Market, says he’s happy about the construction.
“I like it because the city is thinking ahead,” Mulvin said. “It will add to the feel of downtown Phoenix by becoming pedestrian friendly.”
Kara Johnson, another Phoenix Public Market employee, said that the market hasn’t been affected heavily from the construction.
Gail Brinkmann, City of Phoenix street transportation department project manager, said that one problem that the city has dealt with thus far was an old waterline that had broken several times, delaying the project.
The city was forced to do an emergency replacement on the old waterline.
“In a way, (the project delay) was good because we installed a new, larger line so that this section of waterline in First Street will not have to be replaced in the future as will other portions as development occurs,” Brinkmann said.
In the original plan, an existing ficus tree in the construction zone was to be removed. After a public outcry including a petition, the city opted to keep the tree. The sidewalk plan was changed, allowing for more room so that pedestrians can go around the tree.
Brinkmann said that new irrigation was added, since the ficus tree is not drought-tolerant.
He is hopeful that the new irrigation design will provide the tree with enough water, but believes the roots were previously receiving water from the old waterline, which has since been removed.
The new waterline was installed further away so the roots will be unable to reach it.
ASU has aided businesses by allowing restaurant patrons to park in the McKinley parking lot.
The city has placed “business opened” signs at locations chosen by businesses, but restaurants like Turf say they don’t make much of a difference.
J.D. Secrest, a bartender at Sens Asian Tapas on First Street, says the lunch crowd has been severely damaged by the construction, but dinner hasn’t been affected much.
“I expect the lunch crowd to continue to be just as bad when Pierce Street shuts down for two months,” Secrest said.
Businesses affected by the First Street construction were relieved that the project will soon be coming to an end.
“The construction is an eyesore during First Fridays, but it has yet to impact me from parking in the $5 parking lot,” said Tracy Tibbetts, an ASU alumna who now works as a secretary for the Cronkite School.
Many students that come from the Tempe campus by light rail aren’t aware of the construction on the north side of the Cronkite building, and were completely unaffected by the shutdown of First Street.
Contact the reporter at kendra.yost@asu.edu
