With their disruptions to traffic flow and parking, construction projects are the bane of downtown leaders. In a rare bright side to the coronavirus pandemic, some downtowns are using the economic pause to accelerate infrastructure improvements. In Pensacola, FL (est. pop. 52,562), Gulf Power has accelerated work on an $83 million project to improve the…To read more — login/subscribe
An eight-month road closure in downtown Hartford, CT (est. pop. 122,591), caused shoppers, commuters, and business owners to groan. While construction disrupted downtown businesses, the Hartford Business Improvement District (HBID) used whimsical construction signs to make light of the inconvenience and to stress that this, too, shall pass. HBID recognized that traditional construction signs blend…To read more — login/subscribe
Wiscasset, ME (est. pop. 1,092), undertook a sweeping redesign of Main Street that includes widening sidewalks, adding lighting, installing bollards, renovating sidewalks, improving drainage, and redesigning parking. Such an ambitious project meant a lot of construction headaches. To help local leaders around the state minimize the impact of such projects, MaineDOT developed Digging Maine, a…To read more — login/subscribe
Despite streetcar construction in downtown Tempe, AZ, intrepid visitors donned hard hats and enjoyed all that the city center has to offer. Each week the Tempe Downtown Authority gave away 100 reusable yellow hard hats imprinted with the association logo. People wearing hard hats could claim an hour of free parking as well as specials…To read more — login/subscribe
