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SMART2 Progress - Commerce Street

Crosswalk construction on West Commerce Street, looking south toward the Phelps Gateway.

Public Works - April 26, 2023

Construction on West Commerce Street continues, with most work currently focused on the blocks between Hazel Street and Wick Avenue.

Perhaps the most noticeable component of the current construction work is the huge Phelps Gateway pedestrian crossing over West Commerce Street. Styled in the same manner as many of the other crosswalks in the SMART2 project, it consists of red-tinted, brick pattern-stamped concrete, bordered by white concrete.

Construction on Commerce Street, between Fifth Avenue and East Federal Street, is part of Phase 2 of the SMART2 project. These blocks have been redesigned to be safer and more accessible for users of multiple modes of transportation, including motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Project design features include the following:

  • Road Diet (Fifth Avenue to North Walnut Street), reducing the existing 5 vehicular lanes to 1 in each direction, plus left turn lanes, as needed.
  • Sidewalk improvements (Fifth Avenue to North Walnut Street), including landscaped amenity strip separations.
  • Safety and aesthetic improvements to crosswalks.
  • Addition of limited parallel parking (Fifth Avenue to North Walnut Street - westbound only).
  • Energy efficient and aesthetic street lighting.