Back in business: Main Street opens to traffic
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“I like it,” said local resident Kelly Boles. “I think more should have been done with the buildings. If the buildings were nicer, it would make a nicer place to have a business. That’s my only complaint besides the year and a half you couldn’t go down the street.”
Main Street has been closed since August, 2004. At that time, it was announced the downtown revitalization project would take 14 months. After a few delays, at least one lane of traffic is open throughout Main Street after 17 months.
With Main Street nearing completion, City Administrator Herb Llewellyn has only praise for how the construction turned out.
“I think it’s wonderful,” said Llewellyn. “Every time I go down there I love what I see. It’s so attractive.”
Not everyone is enthused about the construction and layout of downtown.
“I don’t think they ended up achieving what they set out to do,” said local resident Tamara White. “They had some big plans. Some of the plans were bad. What were they thinking? There wasn’t enough parking spaces downtown before and now there seems to be even less. I’m even madder about the Christmas tree. I think they should have made an effort to move it.”
Currently, the right lane is still closed on the final portion of E. Main Street. Workers are finishing the concrete around the City Mall sidewalk, as well as the stone insets and brick in that area.
“That side of the road is blocked off to protect the workers until they finish,” said Main Street director Chris Wilson. “They should be finished in a week, maybe less.”
Wilson said the perception there are less parking spaces downtown after construction is not accurate.
“We have four more parking spaces in Court Square,” said Wilson. “Down by the Dollar General, we have gained seven parking spaces because there will be head-in parking and not parallel. It just looks like there are less parking spaces.”