While the new trees were planted February 14, there will soon be more changes to Toomer’s Corner.
According to Jeff Ramsey, the public works director and city engineer for the City of Auburn, construction will start Monday, April 20. Ramsey said if the construction goes to plan it should be completed Aug. 17, which is the start of classes for the 2015-2016 year.
According to Ramsey, plans include raising the asphalt to meet the curve to add an event space, the addition of plugs for band hookups so there can be more concerts in downtown Auburn in the future, and seat walls that people can charge their phone with. The seat walls will also contain LED lights that can be changed based on the event going on downtown.
Other changes will include wider curbs, silva cells, which are spaces under the pavement for the tree roots to grow into, and changing of traffic signals.
The tiger paw in the middle of the intersection will become permanent, but instead of the painted tiger paw, it will be in brick inlay. The brick will be ochre and red to match the University. The crosswalks will also be in brick inlay, according to Ramsey.
The construction is scheduled to be completed by August 17, which means that the intersection will also open right before the start of a new football season.
While the new trees did have a lot to do with the plan, according to Ramsey, the goal would be to make the trees and corner look like one project.
Ramsey said he has been meeting with the downtown merchants who may be affected by the construction.
According to Jennifer Fincher, vice president of communication and marketing for the Auburn Chamber of Commerce, she will help communicate to the community that downtown is still open during construction. She said they are working on plans for how downtown merchants will handle the construction but nothing is official yet.
According to David Dorton, public affairs director of City of Auburn, the downtown master plan has been in the works for some time now. Some of the plan is a result of input given at public meetings.
“It’s is a new corner for a new generation,” Dorton said.
He said the plan will try to complement what has been done with the new trees.
The intersection will be closed at some point in the construction but there will be detours, according to Dorton.
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