It could be smooth sailing in Fondren by the end of the month, at least when it comes to the completion of the Fondren Streetscape Project.
Jackson city officials say the streetscape project should wrap up by the end of the month, weather permitting.
Meanwhile, Jackson city officials are planning to amend the contract with Hemphill Construction to repave Duling Avenue and Fondren Place, two of the streets affected by the project.
Hemphill was brought on last year to do the streetscape work, which included rebuilding and widening sidewalks, and adding new landscaping, wayfinding signage and pedestrian improvements.
The project has caused headaches for some motorists and business owners alike, who have lost parking spaces and have had to navigate new traffic patterns with some lanes being temporarily blocked off for work crews.
Jim Wilkirson, executive director of the Fondren Renaissance Foundation (FRF), said the streetscape work has been one of a number of things contributing to congestion in the business district.
Despite the temporary inconveniences, Wilkirson said business owners understand the improvements will be well worth it once they’re completed. “It’s a good thing,” he said. “It’s progress.”
The business district stretches from the intersection of North State Street and Old Canton Road north to Glenway Drive and Hartfield Street.
In addition to the streetscape work, construction is under way on the new Homewood Suites hotel, being built at the old Que Sera location on North State. At Duling and Old Canton, crews are building a new branch for Trustmark National Bank. And farther south, the University of Mississippi Medical Center is building the Gertrude C. Ford Foundation Hope Lodge at the old Schimmel’s restaurant location.
Groundbreakings on the Homewood Suites and Hope Lodge were held late last year.
Additionally, motorists are still having to drive over utility cuts, where streets were dug up earlier this year during the city’s water crisis.
“It’s not just one item,” Wilkirson said. “It’s a conglomeration of different things, and the sidewalk improvements are one aspect.”
The streetscape work is being funded with a $2 million federal grant and around $700,000 in local matching funds.
Hemphill was brought on last August.
Previously, the city had hoped to repave Fondren Place and Duling Avenue as part of a separate street repaving contract.
However, the city decided to ask Hemphill for a quote, in part, so the repaving could be completed quicker.
Hemphill is already on site, meaning the overlay of the two streets could be completed before the start of the Christmas shopping season.
