#cornerconstruction

Big things are happening in Downtown Auburn. With new restaurants, retailers and brand new oak trees, Auburn is looking better than ever, but it doesn't stop there. Downtown Auburn is getting a makeover! Although things are going to be a little hectic for the next few months, we can't wait to show off our beautiful new downtown in the fall!

 

Today, May 11, marks the first day of the new Toomer's Corner Intersection Improvements Project. The intersection will close to allow for construction to begin. The renovation will bring several improvements to the intersection including raising the intersection to match the elevation of the sidewalks, new crosswalks and a permanent tiger paw made of paviers will be constructed. Aside from the road itself, the sidewalks of downtown will be included in the makeover with new trees, brick seat walls and overall general sidewalk improvements. New decorative traffic signal poles will be added as well to enhance lighting and overall appeal.

I know what your thinking, how in the world am I going to shop, dine and play in Downtown Auburn with all of this construction going on? Have no fear, downtown Auburn's retail stores, restaurants, and bars will remain open and fully functional throughout the whole process. Don't let gates and road closures stop you from enjoying all that Downtown Auburn has to offer. With free parking until August 17, there are no excuses. To make parking decisions easier, below is a list of all the available parking for the summer from www.auburnalabama.org/cornerconstruction!

Parking:

Downtown parking will be free during the Corner Construction project. Parking will still be limited to two hours (on-street) and four hours (parking lots) during weekday business hours (Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) to keep parking as available as possible for everyone who wants to visit downtown. All three floors of the municipal parking deck will be opened for free parking to offset on-street parking that will be unavailable during construction. The municipal parking deck will be available for four-hour parking during businesses hours and will remain open on evenings and weekends.

Free, on-street parking will be available on Gay Street, Tichenor Avenue, Wright Street and as follows:

South College Street Parking: Even though South College Street will be closed to through traffic from Thach Avenue to Magnolia Avenue, normal on-street parallel parking will still be available. A cut-through will be created in the median to allow drivers visiting downtown to get back to Thach Avenue. New, temporary, on-street parking will be created on the campus side of the road.

North College Street Parking: North College Street will be closed to through traffic from Glenn Avenue to Magnolia Avenue. Some parking will be available up to about the mid-block crossing. A temporary cul-de-sac will be created with on-street striping to allow traffic to park and leave. Cars will still be able to access the University Inn during construction.

East Magnolia Avenue Parking: East Magnolia Avenue will be closed to through traffic from Gay Street to College Street. Some parking will be available up to the mid-block crossing. A temporary cul-de-sac will be created with on-street striping to allow traffic to park and leave. Cars will be able to access the Compass Bank parking lot from Gay Street.

West Magnolia Avenue Parking: West Magnolia Avenue will be closed to through traffic from Wright Street to College Street, with Wright Street serving as a detour for northbound traffic during the construction.

Don't let traffic stress you out. The City of Auburn has carefully created a traffic plan with you in mind. Below are the detour routes from www.auburnalabama.org/cornerconstruction:

Traffic:

All traffic will detour around the Toomer's corner intersection.

Detour Routes:

Northbound and southbound traffic on College Street will detour to Gay Street via Thach Avenue and Glenn Avenue.

Eastbound traffic on Magnolia Avenue will detour via Wright Street, Glenn Avenue and Gay Street.

Westbound traffic on Magnolia Avenue will detour via Gay Street, Glenn Avenue and Toomer Street.

We are so excited to see how the improvements will impact our city and make shopping, dining and playing more enjoyable to residents and visitors. For updates on the Corner Construction, please visit www.auburnalabama.org/cornerconstruction and be sure to use the hashtag #cornerconstruction to easily find updates on Facebook and Twitter!

This week in Auburn-Opelika:

May 12: Discovery Hike at the Kreher Preserve & Nature Center at 3:30 p.m.
May 12: Auburn Baseball vs. Morehead State at 6 p.m. at Plainsman Park
May 14: Nature Walk at the Kreher Preserve & Nature Center at 8:30 a.m.
May 14: May Concert Series featuring SoulCo from 6-7:30 p.m. at Town Creek Park
May 16: Aviation Education Outreach Fly-In at the Auburn Regional Airport
May 16: 23rd Annual Fishing Rodeo from 8-11 a.m. at the Auburn Technology Park South Lake
May 17: 5K Trail Run, Tot Trot & Sunday Stroll at the Kreher Preserve & Nature Center at 1 p.m.
May 17: Spring Art Show & open House at the East Lake Estates Model Home from 1-4 p.m.

For more information on these events and more, visit www.aotourism.com!