Downtown Johnson City has seen many efforts toward improving the lives of its residents. One of the often overlooked actions that the city takes to ensure this is through construction.

“It looks really nice and a lot of the residences, businesses are pretty happy about seeing that progress because they’ve been under construction for such a long time that it makes a big difference when they really start to see what the completed project is going to look like,” says Wallace McCulloch, city engineer, in reference to one of the current projects.

Photo of construction near Airgas. (Gabriella Collins/East Tennessean)

Just beyond ETSU’s campus, West Walnut Street, has been noticeably under construction, with the completion expected to arrive by Thanksgiving. The decision to begin construction came from an inspection which showed a need to resolve pipe conflicts. The city has worked with a contractor, as well as the surrounding property owners to address the concerns and ensure that access to the surrounding businesses stays open during the construction.

“One of the things that people don’t understand about this project is that the bulk of the cost is below ground where people don’t see,” says McCulloch.

On Cherokee Road, a sewer line and storm drainage is being put in place, as well as fiber optics through AT&T. Many of the issues that typically stem from the introduction of new installations goes back to rearranging the “alligator cracking” in the road that causes it to give out.

Looking ahead, Johnson City is preparing to widen West Oakland Avenue and incorporate a bridge. This need was determined by analyzing the flow of traffic in the area and the need for an added turn lane. There are multiple new housing additions occurring in the area, and with that comes an increase in residents who will need to commute from their homes efficiently.

A noteworthy project that was recently completed in downtown was the Community Policing Unit, also known as Platoon 5, which has now been established in the Downtown Centre. In addition to its staffed officers and officials, this unit also features community housing for the homeless as well as a homeless outreach coordinator.

For more information on what changes are being made to Johnson City, visit johnsoncitytn.org.

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