City of Harrisonburg officials and area business owners will gather downtown next week to celebrate the much-anticipated reopening of East Market Street.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony to reintroduce the section of road to the community will be held Wednesday, Jan. 22, at noon on East Market Street between Main and Mason streets. City staff will be available to discuss the project, new infrastructure and how East Market Street fits in with Harrisonburg’s efforts to highlight its thriving downtown. Business owners in the area are invited to join the celebration.
Construction on East Market Street began in May 2019 in an effort to add new street lights, signs and a brick sidewalk, in addition to water and sewer line replacements. But upon beginning work under the roadway, City staff encountered a number of issues that would have to be addressed dating as far back as the 1800s.
Issues included rock pinnacles that could destabilize the roadway that had to be removed, utility lines located in areas that would not be acceptable by today’s standards, coal chutes that had been used in the past to deliver coal for heating homes and businesses on the road, and other unexpected issues.
Though this delayed reopening the road, City staff believes the finished product will go a long way toward making this stretch of East Market Street more connected to the Downtown atmosphere.
“We are lucky to have a very special downtown and Main Street here in Harrisonburg, and this project has made the area much more of a destination for visitors walking downtown,” Harrisonburg Director of Communications Michael Parks said. “We are thankful to our businesses and residents who have worked with us and been patient throughout the course of the project, and we are happy to finally be able to deliver this new roadway to you.”
Those interested in attending should follow the City’s Facebook and Twitter pages for weather-related information for the event.
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