Macon-Bibb County officials will hold a Groundbreaking Ceremony on Friday, April 3, at 10:00 a.m. to mark the beginning of construction on the Second Street Corridor Connecter. The Ceremony will be held on Mercer University’s intramural field near the intersection of Little Richard Penniman Boulevard and Nussbaum Avenue. On Monday, April 6, the lower portion of Little Richard Penniman Boulevard will be closed. (Details below.)

This first phase of construction is estimated to take between three and four months; the entire three phase project is expected to take 18 months. Once complete, the Connector will have sidewalks, bicycle lanes, lighting, and landscaping, as well as upgraded storm sewer systems.

“This is the piece of the Corridor that will bring the two different sides of our urban core together with a pedestrian and bike friendly connection,” says Mayor Robert Reichert. “In other areas, we’ve added bike lanes, improved sidewalks, and increased greenspace, and we will see those continue to expand, and we continue to plan for a transit alternative, such as an electric bus.”

“Macon-Bibb County is currently on the move,” says Commissioner Larry Schlesinger. “The Second Street Corridor project that voters approved is not only emblematic of the renaissance that is occurring, it is a harbinger of the growth and renewal that assuredly will follow in its path.”

To minimize construction time and reduce expenses, the entire portion of Little Richard Penniman Boulevard between Plant Street and Telfair Street will be closed beginning Monday, April 6.  People traveling into Macon-Bibb from I-75 are encouraged to use the Eisenhower Parkway or Forsyth St/Hardeman Avenue exits to reduce traffic traveling through the neighborhoods. There will be detour signs placed in the area to help neighborhood traffic get around the construction. Maps are attached for the closure and detours for traffic coming into town from I-75.