What you need to know
Lanes on the southern half of Main Street between First and Fifth streets—from the Frisco Rail Yard to the The Blushing Bride Boutique—closed Aug. 15 as contractors place utilities and repave the road, according to an Aug. 14 city news release.
This will shift traffic into a two-lane system on the north side of the street.
Until now, a similar pattern was in place between First and Third streets. That system will now extend to Fifth Street and remain in place for a few months until construction and the traffic pattern switches to the northbound lanes for contractors to work on the other half of Main Street, according to the release.
Starting in mid-September, Fourth Street will be closed permanently to make way for the pedestrian plaza, a city project years in the making that will bring large shaded walkways, a performance stage and lawn, seating areas, and more to the downtown area.
Managing the impact
Second Street will be temporarily connected to Main Street to restore some circulation around the same time but could still close every now and then as needed.
Here are some other changes expected for Main Street over the next few months:
- Third Street will be temporarily reconnected to Main Street in September but still subject to closures
- First Street, Frisco Square Boulevard and Third Street will close just south of Main Street
- Eastbound traffic on Frisco Square Boulevard will be detoured south on First Street and then east on Elm Street
Throughout the closures, northbound traffic on First Street can divert to John W. Elliott Drive to reach Main Street, according to the release. Northbound traffic on Third Street and Fourth Street will need to divert to Fifth Street to reach Main Street.
Going forward
Several blocks of on-street parking have already been removed from Main Street, according to the release. There are blue signs installed along the street to help drivers find the public parking lots located behind Main Street, which are accessible from Elm Street and Oak Street.
Additional blue signs have been installed to direct potential customers to specific businesses that lost their access to Main Street.
City officials recommend drivers headed downtown use Waze, a navigation system the city regularly updates with road closures or detours.
