City to begin work on First Street improvements Monday

Beginning Monday, the city will spend five months implementing changes along First Street between U.S. 41 and Pineapple Avenue.

Those changes, designed to create a more pedestrian friendly environment, come with a budget of $2.2 million. The project will necessitate the closure of one lane of traffic throughout much of the construction process.

Work is expected to conclude in January. One lane of traffic will still remain open for most of that time, the city announced in a release Thursday. The lane will first be open for westbound traffic, and as work progresses, the direction of travel will change to eastbound.

The scope of the project includes widening sidewalks, adding ornamental streetlights, placing utility lines underground, installing brick-paver parking spaces and adding landscaping and trees.

The changes are similar to other streetscape improvements that have taken place throughout downtown, and are designed to enhance the walkability of the area, the release states.

“First Street is a gateway into the downtown core from U.S. 41, and this project will be a major improvement for the area,” City Manager Tom Barwin said in the release. “By creating a more pedestrian-friendly area along the First Street corridor, we anticipate motorists will slow down and people will feel more comfortable with their surroundings and will want to get out of their cars and stroll around downtown.”

The work will begin at U.S. 41 and continue eastward in phases until the end of January, the release states.