Economic Development
Downtown Development
Marietta Street Improvements
The City is developing plans for streetscape improvements to Marietta Street, between Franklin Boulevard and Long Avenue. In general, the project will reduce Marietta Street from four to three lanes within the project area and use the extra space created on the Unity Bridge to construct a 10-14' wide pedestrian way and provide a decorative barrier between the pedestrian and automobile traffic. The project also includes decorative crosswalks, traffic signal mast arms, and pedestrian countdown signals. Based on a field survey completed on July 29, 2008, there were two-hundred and eighty-four (284) pedestrian trips across the bridge between 7:30am and 5:30pm on a day with no major downtown events planned. Pedestrians include attorneys and clients making their way to the courthouse, Department of Social Services patrons, employees coming into downtown for lunch or other business, residents walking to the Farmers Market, transit riders, etc. The streetscape project will address aesthetic and public safety deficiencies, positively impact the redevelopment of downtown Gastonia, provide a critical link between other major community projects, provide an alternate mode of transportation, create an important pedestrian connection in the City’s greenway program, and provide an impressive pedestrian gateway into historic downtown Gastonia.
The City has applied to multiple grant agencies to assist with project funding and hopes to have the project complete by December 2009. The project is made possible, and will be successful, due to coordination with other agencies, local support, and its relationship to multiple related projects.
Marietta St. Bridge Improvements
Existing
Proposed
Long Ave. & Marietta St. Intersection
Existing
Proposed
Franklin Blvd. & Marietta St. Intersection
Existing
Proposed
For more information visit the link below or contact
Michelle E. Nance, AICP
Development Services Manager
City of Gastonia
PO Box 1748
Gastonia, NC 28053
Phone: 704.854.6641
Fax: 704.869.1960
Email: Michelle E. Nance
Marietta Street and Bridge Grant Map
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