Tolt Avenue / State Route 203 Project
CBD means for Central Business District. The City Council has been visioning this project since 2010. Finally, in 2021 the project began. It took 10 plus years, starting first with the vision, hiring a firm to develop and design the project, and then apply for funding to be able to make this project a reality. In 2021, the block project began. The City’s downtown revitalization efforts have focused on Tolt Avenue/SR 203. The City, State, and Federal government plus many other partners have invested $10M to fix the road, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, and stormwater.
The project began in March of 2021, and through June 2022, the following projects were completed:
(1) Underground infrastructure such as buried utilities and put in stormwater containers
(2) Expanded sidewalks, modified grading, added traffic calming bulb outs and made other infrastructure improvements
(3) Fixtures added: benches, bike racks, garbage receptacles, light fixtures; sidewalk and streetlights.
The full makeover of SR 203 is not a small project. Under the best of circumstances, this project is at least 18 months long. We have not experienced best of circumstances. Winter has been particularly wet. Even in early June, we are experiencing wet/winter like conditions. The work can’t be done while there is so much water saturation in the soil. With June becoming dryer, we are hoping July may provide adequate soil conditions. Road work on SR 203 will require intense engineering work. The safety concerns are being mitigated by closing Tolt Ave. Trying to run traffic through a highly active work zone, with open excavation adjacent to the travel lanes, would be very hazardous to the public. Closing Tolt Ave is the only way to safely and efficiently perform the work. The SR203/Tolt Ave closure is planned to start on July 13th through August 7th. We will plan on small beautification projects through September that could cause a minor traffic impact on Tolt Ave. Below are helpful informational packets on dates of closures, detour routes, what to expect and who to contact if you have more questions.