The Charles H. Jones Gateway Park is undergoing exciting and much-needed renovations. Construction started earlier this week.  

Part of the renovations include demolishing existing hardscape and replacing most of it with grass, including the low patio, which typically floods an average of 30 times a year. The elevation of the upper patio is high enough that floods are rare, but a new circular patio will be constructed at this elevation. 

The existing walls and the fountain will be removed, the site will be regraded, and new walkways will be installed. The connection to the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail under the bridge will remain, but a new walkway will connect to it.  Pedestrians and bicyclists going across the bridge to Downtown from the Centreplex will be able to cross through the Park to avoid the intersection with Riverside Drive and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. There will also be a reworked Charles Jones Arch.  

“We’re excited to get this project moving,” said Wimberly Treadwell, Landscape Architect. “It has been an eyesore with the shrubbery being terrible, a non-working fountain, and a lower plaza covered in dirt and grass. These renovations will make a huge difference as it will create a safe and attractive walkway into Downtown or across the Ocmulgee River.” 

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and NewTown Macon’s Business Improvement District (BID) funded project is expected to take about two months to complete.