Segments of Clayton Street in downtown Athens closed as streetscape project advances

Stephanie Allen, Athens Banner-Herald
·2 min read
Clayton Street continues to undergo construction work and renovations but is near completion on Friday, June 3, 2022 in Athens.
Clayton Street continues to undergo construction work and renovations but is near completion on Friday, June 3, 2022 in Athens.

Segments of Clayton Street in downtown Athens will be closed this week with final touches on the streetscape project — including the rainbow crosswalk and Portland Loo — to take place before the end of the year.

From now until Friday, portions of Clayton Street are closed in order to ​​complete mainline milling and paving. This will include closing the street to vehicles and on-street parking. The project could extend to Monday if needed.

Jackson Street will remain open to through traffic during the closure and all downtown parking decks will be open. Sidewalks will also be open.

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More work at the Jackson Street and Wall Street intersections is tentatively scheduled for the week of Aug. 8 to complete paving.

Repaving and restriping is tentatively scheduled to take place until September, and after the final paving and restriping, the rainbow crosswalk can be installed.

The College Avenue and East Clayton Street intersection is in the process of being repaved and replaced with a rainbow crosswalk.
The College Avenue and East Clayton Street intersection is in the process of being repaved and replaced with a rainbow crosswalk.

P​​ublic art installation will begin in either August or September, depending on how the timeline moves forward and tree planting is ongoing this month.

Depending on material availability, the Clayton Street eco-stations are set to be installed at the end of the year and the Portland Loo public restroom at the College Avenue Parking Deck is scheduled for installation in late fall. The eco-stations are trash and recycling receptacles.

The Athens-Clarke County government has provided the following tentative closure schedule:

Tuesday, July 19

  • North Lumpkin Street to North Jackson Street parking areas

    • Milling

    • Paving

    • Leveling

    • Temporary striping (possibly into Wednesday, July 20)

Wednesday, July 20

  • Reopen parking and travel areas as temporary striping is completed.

  • Close Clayton Street for parking and travel at North Jackson Street to North Thomas Street.

Thursday, July 21 and Friday, July 22

  • North Jackson Street to North Thomas Street parking areas

    • Milling

    • Paving

    • Leveling

    • Temporary Striping

Friday, July 22 or Monday, July 25 (if needed)

  • Pave travel lanes from North Lumpkin Street to North Thomas Street

  • Reopen parking and travel areas as temporary striping is completed

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Portions of Clayton Street closed for work on streetscape project