PARIS Resurfacing Project Set to Begin on State Street

Improvements to East State Street and other streets in Historic Downtown Redlands are set to begin in July, part of the City’s PARIS Resurfacing Project. Work is set to begin improving East State Street as well as Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth and portions of Fifth Street between Redlands Boulevard and Citrus Avenue. While the streets will be closed to automobile traffic for up to two weeks, starting July 13, all businesses will remain open and the City is taking additional measures to assist visitors in reaching their destinations along those streets. 6th Street from Citrus Avenue to Olive Avenue will be resurfaced beginning the week of July 6, using traditional methods but will remain open to through traffic. The public parking garage on Citrus Avenue will remain accessible. All streets will remain open to pedestrian traffic at all times. In addition, the City will post signs to direct visitors to nearby parking areas, such as the Redlands Mall, and will provide all-day shuttle service that will run every 15 minutes from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. throughout the downtown area. Passengers will be dropped off and picked up curb side to the businesses. The Thursday night Market Night will be cancelled for two weeks, July 16 and 23, and will resume on July 30. Over the past year, City staff have held frequent meetings with downtown business owners keeping them apprised of improvement plans, including replacement of water pipes, the addition of non-potable water infrastructure and repaving plans as well as aesthetic improvements to the downtown, including new planters, trash cans and bicycle racks and enhanced upkeep and maintenance. At the same time, staff sought input from the merchants on the ideal schedule for beginning improvements and minimizing and mitigating effects of those improvements. As a result of those discussions and input from local merchants, the City adjusted its schedule on several public works projects, including repaving the municipal parking lot next to Ed Hales Park during the month of January and installing non-potable water infrastructure at night in May and June after downtown businesses had closed. Repaving of East State Street and the surrounding streets was delayed until mid-July when merchants indicated it would have the least impact on their businesses. The addition of signage and the shuttle service also resulted from those discussions. The current phase of the PARIS repaving program will include resurfacing of approximately 90 lane miles of streets throughout the City. At the completion of the estimated six-month project, the City will have completed nearly 200 lane miles of resurfacing, or approximately 48 percent of the PARIS project. Work will occur in phases throughout various portions of the City. Completion is anticipated in October. For more information regarding the State Street paving project, please contact Community Relations Coordinator Olivia Crowley at (909) 798-7584, ext. 3, or by email at ocrowley@cityofredlands.org.