A ribbon-cutting ceremony held today at the intersection of Abram and Mary marks the official end of the $50 million Abram Street Rebuild project. The project began at the Grand Prairie city limits just east of State Highway 360 more than six years ago and has progressed westward to Cooper Street and the surrounding Downtown Arlington area. Public Works and Transportation Director Keith Brooks, Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams, City Council District Representative Ignacio Nunez and Downtown Arlington Management Corporation President and CEO Maggie Campbell were present at the celebration and spoke briefly about the huge significance the improved thoroughfare has for the City of Arlington.
Keith Brooks, Public Works and Transportation Director, shared his thoughts on Abram’s completion saying he was, “Proud that we were able to create a more pedestrian-friendly downtown thoroughfare, with beautiful aesthitics, roadway improvements, on-street parking and enhanced pedestrian lighting features.” Mayor Jeff Williams spoke about his enthusiasm for Downtown Arlington’s future saying,”We are going to experience many great days in Arlington. It is a game changer.” City Council District Representative Ignacio Nunez spoke of his personal vision for the Downtown Arlington area saying, “This area will be our town square. It is the beating heart of Arlington. It is vibrant, culturally strong, and economically sound.” Finally, Downtown Arlington Management Corporation President and CEO Maggie Campbell reflected on the past several years of work summarized by saying, “This shared vision for a walkable, vibrant downtown neighborhood is slowly being realized. Slowly but surely.”
The difficulties and long years of hard work on Abram St have been well documented. Citizens of Arlington can now breathe a sigh of relief knowing that traffic due to construction is now over and local businesses can relax knowing the new road will allow easier access to their establishments. Hopefully this long, but necessary, step of Downtown Arlington’s continuing growth will prove to be worth the wait as we slowly await the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and resume city life as we once knew it.
