Part of Merced’s Main Street to reopen with new traffic pattern. Here’s when
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- Main Street in Merced reopens July 14 with new one-way traffic direction.
- City crews completed paving, crosswalks and diagonal parking refinements.
- Bob Hart Square renovations continue with concerts planned starting October.
A section of downtown Merced’s Main Street will reopen to traffic on Monday, July 14, following a week-long closure for continued roadwork and a newly implemented one-way directional change.
The City of Merced will mark the occasion with a celebratory morning cruise along Main Street beginning at 7 a.m.. The cruise will feature a restored Merced Police Department Ford Crown Victoria police cruiser that will lead various other classic vehicles.
A graphic included in a post on the City of Merced Facebook page read in part “come out, wave hello, and help us celebrate the next chapter in the revitalization of Downtown Merced.”
The event celebrates the completion of one phase that is part of a larger downtown roadway and revitalization project that has included resurfacing sections of Main Street as well as 18th Street and 16th Street as well as renovating Bob Hart Square.
Since July 7, a section of Main Street has been closed as crews worked to remove and repave crosswalks and repair pavement at the intersection of Canal and Main streets. The reopening follows final installations of directional traffic markings, signs, new pavement and diagonal parking striping.
The directional change and resurfacing are part of a broader revitalization effort that includes renovations to Merced’s Bob Hart Square. Improvements to the square include an expanded with new seating, trees and a stage. The City of Merced said access to nearby parking lots will be rerouted from Canal Street to 16th Street as the new plaza will serve as a community gathering space.
The Bob Hart Square project is expected to cost just over $3.5 million with about $2.15 million covered by federal American Rescue Plan Act funds after additional allocations, the City said.
City of Merced Spokesperson Jennifer Flachman told the Sun-Star in May, that current plans call for a series of three concerts a the newly renovated Bob Hart Square sponsored by the Merced City Council and the Arts and Culture Advisory Commission. The first event is expected to take place in October, upon the completion of the project.