MLK Streetscape

Construction on the Martin Luther King Avenue Streetscape was completed in November of 2006. This project stretched between 301 Boulevard and 9th Street East, and addressed both structural (eg; drainage) and façade improvements. Changes included elevated, landscaped medians, brick crosswalks, repaving and resurfacing of the street itself, and installation of new lighting along the roadway. The project included the installation of new medians, which generally align with the previous pavement markings and lane configurations. The new medians were irrigated and landscaped with a combination of 7 live oaks, 24 crape myrtles, 28 sable palm trees, 596 Parson’s Junipers, 366 Dwarf Indian Hawthorns, 7162 square feet of mulch, and 6200 square feet of new sod. All crosswalks were improved with the installation of red brick imprints with thermoplastic striping. In addition to these improvements the CCRA installed 42 antique lamps that line the roadway. These lamps have proven to lend themselves to safety, security and increased the ambiance of the corridor.

The improvement of Martin Luther King Ave. E. is very important to this neighborhood. Community meetings were conducted to get feedback on the concerns and desires of the residents. This project served to resolve some functional issues, along with calming the traffic, and most of all has served to restore this historically relevant corridor to a position of prominence once again in the community.