Street and sidewalk construction began near the Downtown campus this week, shutting down traffic for a city project expected to last several months.
The City of Phoenix has contracted with Talis Construction to create pedestrian enhancements on First Street between Fillmore and McKinley streets and along Pierce Street between Central Avenue and First Street.
Improvements will include wider sidewalks with access ramps, a new curb, gutters and additional parking spaces.
Bike racks, benches and trash receptacles will be installed and trees will be planted for shade. New street lighting will also be added.
Improvements will be made in two phases and construction is expected to be complete sometime in November of this year.
Phase one, which includes First Street, will construct angled parking on the west side of the street and parallel parking on the east side.
First Street has been closed to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic since Monday, July 18. City officials anticipate to reopen the street to traffic by mid-September.
The second phase involving Pierce Street will start mid-September and the street will close to vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
It will also include restoration of sidewalks with historic glass block skylights, which will make room for the future installation of artist-designed shade canopies adjacent to the Phoenix Public Market.
Sean Sweat, an urban transportation expert and downtown Phoenix community advocate, said he doubts the construction will affect student parking during the semester.
The improvements are being funded with city bond money that needed to be spent, Sweat said. First Street was chosen because of its connectedness to various businesses and residential areas, he said, giving it potential to be a good pedestrian corridor.
Kourtney Greving, a social work graduate student, said she is excited the city is working to improve the sidewalks and parking.
“Right now, parking options are limited and depending on where my classes are, parking can be quite far, especially (for) my night classes,” Greving said. “I’m not looking forward to the construction, but it will all be worth it in the end.”
Some nearby businesses are concerned about 4-month construction.
Nicolae Sinu, owner of Coronado Hotel, said he is worried about a lack of available parking during the construction and fears his neighbor, Matt’s Big Breakfast, will lose customers.
Turf Irish Pub plans to invest in a large sign that will let customers know they are still open for business, bartender Melissa White said.
The Phoenix Public Market has been working with the city’s Street Transportation Department to best minimize the impact on the Market, said Dan Klocke, director of planning and economic development for the Downtown Phoenix Partnership.
Klocke said the construction will affect traffic for a few months, but the market will still be open every Saturday morning and Wednesday evening and during lunch on Fridays for the mobile-food court.
The city is asking that customers who drive access the market from the south by Central Avenue and the west from McKinley Street.
Contact the reporter at kendra.yost@asu.edu
