Streetscape starts up Monday
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on August 17, 2014 1:50 AM
The second phase of the city's Streetscape project will begin Monday, causing several street closings and odd traffic patterns.
The southbound lane of Center Street will be closed completely for construction, though pedestrian access will remain open for the businesses in the area.
The northbound lane of Center Street will be converted into a two-way traffic pattern with temporary parallel parking.
Traffic lights will be shifted to a flashing pattern, and stop signs will be placed at all intersections along Center Street.
Phase two of the project is expected to be completed by the end of November 2015, meaning vehicle access to the businesses on the southbound side of Center Street will be restricted.
Ruth Glisson, owner of Uniquely Ours, will be one of the business owners affected by the street closure. She says she believes the temporary disruption is worth the permanent change brought about by the project.
"It feels like we're going back to how it used to be when downtown Goldsboro was the place to be," Ms. Glisson said.
Change, she says, always occurs, and she believes this will be a good one.
"I know there will be disruption, but change does that," she said. "I feel like this will be a good change. There's a synergy downtown. There's a vision. It's taken a long time, but the city has climbed a hill to get here and now they're at the top of that hill."
The second part of the Streetscape project was made possible by a recently awarded TIGER V grant from the federal government for $10 million. This grant will be used to complete this phase of the Streetscape project, as well as the building of the new GATEWAY transfer center on Carolina Street.