[media-credit name=’RAY PFEIFFER/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., officially celebrated the re-opening of the newest section of State Street in a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday.

The 300 and 400 blocks of State Street were the third phase of a four-year project to revamp Madison's central business district, which Cieslewicz said was only possible with the help of Baldwin.

"[The street] looks beautiful, it's a classic design that will be with us for decades to come," Cieslewicz noted. "It is shaping up exactly the way we want it to."

A third of the State Street reconstruction project, or about six million dollars, he added, was funded by the federal government. And according to Baldwin, money designated for projects in the city of Madison will be well spent to beautify the community.

"The residents of Madison know that State Street is a very special place — there's a lot of history here," she said. "Being able to bring federal dollars home to support important community projects … is very gratifying for me, personally."

Baldwin also recognized the hard work from the construction workers and the cooperation of area business owners during the project, which began more than two years ago.

According to Mary Carbine, Madison's central business improvement district executive director, there are more than 300 street-level businesses on State Street, and many of them are locally owned. Even though many establishments probably lost customers during construction stages, she said, the area needed attention and extensive funding to thrive.

"On behalf of the businesses in the central district, we're very grateful to both the city and to Congresswoman Baldwin [for] investing these resources in the central city," Carbine added.

The final phase of the $17 million State Street reconstruction project is scheduled to begin in April on the 500 and 600 blocks, Cieslewicz said. Once completed, he added, State Street will be more durable for the future and easier to maintain.

The city is also looking into renovating immediate side streets, he added, but would only complete those projects as additional funding becomes available.

"This is the heart of Madison — this is a historic street and a street of commerce, literally and figuratively linking the university and state government," Cieslewicz said. "To make it look good and make it functional is extremely important to the overall health of the city."