Thursday, June 17, 2010

S. Chavez Drive Opens Newly Finshed Eastside Streetscape In Milwaukee

Exclusive: First view of the East side finished $1.9 million streetscape of S. Cesar E. Chavez Drive development project. Photos by HNG

By H. Nelson Goodson
June 17, 2010

Milwaukee - Eduardo Velez from "Chupi's Beef," which specializes in selling Chicago's style hotdogs, and Nicolas Millan, aka, "El Florero" celebrated Mexico's soccer victory 2-0 over France in the newly streetscape development along the 1200 block of S. Cesar E. Chavez Dr. Velez was also celebrating his birthday today.
The East side of Chavez Dr. from South to North bound was finished and opened for trafiffic flow. The West side of the street was closed and construction workers began to tear up sidewalks and the street as scheduled, according to engineers. 
The project added new wider sidewalks, red brick sidewalk and crosswalk edges, trees, curbs, sewage man hole covers and paved street.
City officials estimate that at least 147,000 vehicles use S. Chavez Dr. per week, and even more when Mexican Cinco de Mayo, Mexican Independence Day, Mexican Fiesta weekend, Puerto Rican, Harley-Davidson motorcycle rallies, Summerfest, and other ethnic celebrations occur in the Spring and through the Summer.
A city economic study reported that the south side households in the predominately Latino community located inside Postal Zip Code 53204 in Milwaukee spend more than $91 million annually in retail goods, according to the 2006 Department of City Development statistics. In one day, they spent approximately $249,315.06. The biggest tax-generating base for the city comes solely from the south side.
This has been the first season for major construction or business improvement streetscape in decades (more than 35 years) for Chavez Dr., formerly known as S. 16th St.  
The South side project is part of the $1.968 million dollar improvement plan for the Cesar E. Chavez Business Improvement District (BID) #38 Streetscape Project. This is an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Project.

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