BOISE, Idaho — The City of Boise will begin construction next week to improve accessibility on 8th Street in Downtown Boise.
The project will be broken into stages. The first phase will "focus on updates at the intersections of 8th Street and Main Street, and move north to Bannock Street," a news release stated. The goal for the construction is to increase accessibility in the area for those with disabilities. The city says phase one should be complete by the end of March.
The news release also stated that the city will remove the orange barriers, remove bike lane and pavement markings, install yellow tactile wayfinding strips, convert street crossings to ADA compliance and relocate the pedestrian ramps and signals.
"Having exceptional public spaces in Boise is essential to keeping the vibrant character of our city," Tim Keane, Planning and Development Services Director said. "8th Street is one of those places that we should have the highest expectations so that businesses can thrive and all residents are comfortable and inspired by the time they spend there."
Businesses on 8th Street will remain open and pedestrians will also be able to access the area. Improvements can be tracked on the City of Boise website.
As previously reported by KTVB, the orange barriers are used to help visually impaired people from going into the road, but artists have previously painted them to add to Boise's growing art scene.
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