EVANSVILLE, In. (WEHT)- The City of Evansville Engineering Department announced a construction project on Main Street. The work will begin next week and consists of two phases.
3rd Street to 4th Street will be under construction between August 21st and October 13th. Phase two begins October 2nd and is set to be completed November 17th, spanning 2nd Street to 3rd Street.
Officials from the Mayor’s Office tell us the existing street was built as a pedestrian mall in the early 1970s.
Vehicle traffic has taken a toll on the brick–causing dips and an uneven street.
Reece Everett, a bartender at Entwined says, “Evansville has strong roots and I think the brick road really speaks to that. Yes, it’s slow and old fashioned, but if they’re trying to cultivate a really nice downtown area like they are, I think it’s a really nice touch… So I’m not really sure how the asphalt will help that.”
The city believes that concrete will be a better solution, long-term. Only the driving lane will be replaced, the parking spaces will remain bricked.
The city says pedestrian traffic will remain unaffected during construction, and that they will continue to have access to building fronts on both sides of the street.
