The Badger Herald: News: State Street fix to finish up late

Updated Tuesday, December 8, 2009, at 2:14 a.m.

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State Street fix to finish up late

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Also by Becky Vevea:

By Becky Vevea
Wednesday, September 10, 2008 12:00 a.m.

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Construction on State Street, originally scheduled to finish Friday, will continue one more week, but buses will run and restaurants will be able to operate outdoor seating starting Saturday.

Representatives from City Engineering, Speedway construction company and the Business Improvement District made the decision during their weekly meeting Tuesday morning.

Where State Street intersects with Gilman and Frances streets are the last areas to be completed. Planting trees and installing furniture, such as trash containers, benches and bike racks will not be done until November.

“They’re working very hard, but they had to take a break for Ironman, and then it rained,” said Mary Carbine, executive director of the Business Improvement District.

Carbine said the construction is the final phase of the State Street Strategic Plan, a joint city and private initiative to give the pedestrian mall a “facelift and a unified look from top to bottom.”

Project Engineer Chris Petykowski said the improvements were much needed, not only to make State Street look better, but because the below-ground infrastructure was almost 100 years old.

The city has been working with businesses to keep them updated with the construction timeline and has not received much negative feedback, Petykowski said.

Nathan Quella, manager of State Street Brats, said they have seen a decrease in business as a result of construction.

“I haven’t noticed any of the regulars not coming in, but across the board we have seen a loss,” Quella said.

The area outside of Brats is one of the areas under construction for an extra week.

Normally, Brats has two entrances, but since construction started, one of those entrances has been closed off, which Quella said is difficult on busy nights.

The Brats patio will remain the same, but Quella said they will have “tables that are actually fiber glass cows.”

“The first day that I don’t work, and it’s done being built, I’m going out … on the patio and having a beer,” Quella said.

Construction on State Street began with the 100-block during the summer of 2004, followed by the 200-block in 2005 and the 300- and 400-blocks during the summer of 2006.

The construction of the 500- and 600-blocks of State St. was scheduled for summer 2007, but got pushed back to this summer, Carbine said. She added there may be some construction on Gilman Street between State Street and University Avenue next summer.

Petykowski said this is the last summer State Street will be under construction for a while. He added there has been talk of renovating the two blocks by Memorial Library and the Humanities building, but that would not be scheduled until 2013.

Carbine said local businesses have been regularly informed of the project’s status via letters but said it has been very difficult to do construction in a pedestrian retail area.

“It’ll be really wonderful to have those blocks finished,” Carbine said. “We’re really excited to be in the home stretch.”

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