Downtown Library, City Council Chamber Projects Nearing Completion

ARLINGTON, Texas (January 31, 2018)  After nearly 17 months of construction, two major projects that will transform the face of Downtown Arlington are nearing completion.

The $34 million Downtown Library is on target to complete construction in February. Installation of the furniture, fixtures, and equipment is scheduled to take place during the spring. A grand opening celebration is scheduled for June.

[caption id="attachment_20612" align="img-wrapleft" width="623"] Downtown Library, early 2018. Photo courtesy of the City of Arlington. [/caption]

The three-story, 80,000-square-foot facility sets a new standard for public programming tailored to meet the needs of a growing and diverse population. 

The second project, a 6,500-square-foot City Council Chamber, is also nearing completion. The first City Council meeting in the new chamber, which replaces a 35-year-old facility, is scheduled for Tuesday, March 20.

Several adjacent projects are under way in anticipation of the Library and Council Chamber’s grand openings:

• The intersection of Main and Pecan Streets, which has been closed to traffic since June 2016 because of library construction, is scheduled to reopen by Thursday, February 1.
• The section of Main Street between Center and Pecan Streets will reopen to traffic at the end of April.
• A new sidewalk around the Council Chamber building is being installed in the plaza area between the two buildings. This will allow individuals parking in the west City Hall parking lot at Abram and Pecan Streets easier access to the Chamber’s main entrance on the east.
• Construction of reverse angle parking, which provides drivers with a better line of sight of bicyclists, pedestrians, and vehicles as they exit a parking space, is now available on Center and Mesquite Streets around the 101 Center development.

Read the full story on MyArlingtonTX.