ARLINGTON – Olympic Avenue needed a facelift.
The middle of the street was higher than the sides. Opening a parked car’s door meant getting it stuck on the sidewalk. Old sewer and water lines were nearing their replacement dates.
“It’s our major thoroughfare,” said Kristin Banfield, assistant city administrator. “It’s been a topic of conversation for 25 years.”
Construction on Olympic began nearly two months ago. The first section of construction, from Division to Fourth Street, was finished June 15.
The second section, from Fourth Street to Second Street, was finished Friday. Construction on the final stretch, from Second to Maple, will start soon.
About 90 business call Olympic Avenue home, making it a hub of activity for Arlington.
Dawn Williams, owner of The Local Scoop, said business at her restaurant significantly dropped while the first stretch of construction took place.
“We knew it was coming,” she said. “We needed to reconstruct this street. The road now is just beautiful.”
Word of mouth among customers kept some business coming, and construction workers were also frequent diners, Williams said.
Anna Deberry of the BlueBird Cafe agreed with Williams that workers have been a welcome source of revenue.
“They’ve gone out their way to help us keep business,” said Deberry, who has worked at the cafe for 14 years.
Deberry said she’s watched workers escort people across the street. Customers at the cafe talk about how glad they’ll be when construction is finished.
“It hasn’t been really easy for anybody,” Deberry said of the construction, which should be finished by Oct. 20.
“It’s like when friends come to stay,” said construction manager Terry Marsh. “They’re real joyful we’re about to leave.”
Reporter Jasa Santos: 425-339-3465 or jsantos@ heraldnet.com.
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