Downtown light replacement project continues on Tuesday

posted on 5/2/2025

Crews will resume the downtown light replacement project on Tuesday, May 6. This work will block Central Avenue’s left-turning lane onto Third Street during working hours, which is anticipated to continue for three more days.  

Motorists will instead be detoured to the Third Street lot just north of the Broadway intersection before the train tracks. Central Avenue’s southbound U-turn lane may also be intermittently closed, though crews plan to keep the lane open. Downtown parking is not expected to be impacted.

The light upgrades the median of Franklin Square is part of an overall project to upgrade aging downtown street lights, many of which were installed in the late 1970s. The goal is also to improve the overall lighting, including around the crosswalks, for improved visibility and pedestrian safety. Two new lights have been installed and are operational in the Central Avenue crosswalk between Third Street and Broadway.

The initial phase in Franklin Square will help city staff determine how much of the buried electrical conduit can be reused. If the existing conduit can be utilized, staff hope similar conditions exist for the conduit under the sidewalks of Central Avenue, reducing the impact to the public for the light installation and the project’s total cost.

For more information, contact Community Services at 603-516-6450.