A new construction project is approved to begin on Monday, March 2 in the city of Woodstock that will be a huge addition to the rapidly expanding suburban city. Elm Street, located right in the middle of downtown Woodstock next to Main Street and Mill Street where the road will be temporary closed for a period of 90 days, where construction will officially begin on March 16, where a 12-foot-wide pedestrian crossing will be.
The city of Woodstock plans to make going through downtown so much smoother and more enjoyable than ever before. The city is looking to fix its traffic situation with this road. Citizens might think that closing this road for a long period of time might cause traffic to rise; they might be right. However, when this project is completed, traffic will be a thing of the past.
Coty Thigpen, Woodstock's Deputy City Manager stated about the traffic, “By consolidating crossings, we’re improving traffic flow while enhancing the pedestrian experience. It’s about making it easier and safer for people to enjoy downtown and continuing the tradition of creating spaces where people want to gather and build community.”
Once completed, this new plaza will stretch all the way from Main Street to Market Street and will draw more people to the local businesses for more shopping in the specific area. With the current state of the road before the closing, it is just a way for cars to drive by, and the local businesses just seeing them drive by as a short cut to get to Main Street. Now when construction is complete, people will now be walking around the new area, helping the local market/ businesses, as the plaza will be mainly focused on people walking in the area. Citizens and local shops are going to want to know when this project is completed, therefore they should have somewhere to look to see updates if the project seems to be going on for longer.
“The public can keep up with the progress on the Elm Street Pedestrian Crossing Project and all of the other infrastructure improvements happening around the city through our city website.” Said Stacy Brown Marketing and Communications Manager at City of Woodstock. “News articles are published to Woodstockga.gov/news. People can also sign up for email/SMS news alerts on our website and find links to follow the city on social media.”
The road officially closes on March 2, while major construction will begin on March 16 with a 90-day project timeline in place with a summer 2026 plaza grand opening plan. As the shortcut road closes on Monday, the city of Woodstock is aiming that the wait will be worth it for the plaza. Citizens are in need to know if there will be detour signs that will be posted, and if sidewalks will remain open while the construction will be going on, because of the full road being closed.
“The road will be barricaded off. No detour signs will be posted.” Said Jermey Parker, Director of Public Works at City of Woodstock, “Sidewalks will also remain open.”
This project is one of the first that the city of Woodstock is doing as they are trying to make the city a more walkable place for all the citizens to enjoy the wonderful city that they have all put together.