Denton County Transportation Authority
Hickory Street renovations planned from Square to train station
By Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe Staff Writer
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onstruction crews have started the next phase rebuilding Hickory Street, a “grand street” renovation planned from the A-Train Station to the Square. They have demolished the west side of the Williams Square parking lot, just east of Austin Street, and poured new cement. Once the renovations in the west side of the parking lot are complete, crews will move to the east side. The renovations will change the entrances and exits to the lot. Parking spaces will also change from angled to perpendicular. The entire makeover will narrow Hickory Street to two lanes, widen the sidewalks, add more bike racks, define the crosswalks, and add trees and other landscaping from the Square to the train station. Officials estimate the project will cost $3.1 million and
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be finished in late February or early March. During the next phase, crews will remove the north side on-street parking along Hickory Street from Austin to Bell Avenue. Traffic will shift to the two lanes on the south side as crews rebuild the north side. After that work is done, drivers will be traveling on new pavement as reconstruction moves to the south side. During both these phases, the city plans to keep the sidewalks accessible. Crews will lay plywood panels over construction areas
for business access, too. People can also expect back-in parking to begin at some point during this phase, according to city spokesman Brian Daskam. The City Council agreed to a design change that will have drivers backing into angled parking spaces between Locust Street and Bell Avenue. Both the Williams Square parking lot renovations and the Hickory Street reconstruction are expected to increase available parking in the area from the current 234 spots to 320 spots. Daskam said the city, not the city’s electric utility, will install new street lights planned for the route from the Square to the train station. Once that work is done, Denton Municipal Electric will return with special panels that will allow festival organizers to access electricity in many areas along the street.
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