North Chicago Street and the new extension of East Jessamine Avenue in downtown Foley are now open following the city's dedication of the latest improvements at Heritage Park on Friday.

The project, which took about nine months to complete, enhances pedestrian access through much of downtown, according to Mayor Ralph Hellmich.

"We've added a sidewalk that ties in City Hall all the way to our middle school. This goes right through the heart of the park," Hellmich said. He highlighted the Centennial Clock Tower at the park's center, calling it "the nexus of the park" and noting the symmetrical design that now connects north, south, east and west pathways.

The improvements feature a brick gateway, columns and pavers at the park's eastern entrance, complementing the existing brick entrances on all four sides of the park. Pavers connect the new gate with the Centennial Clock and fountain on the west side.

The Jessamine Avenue extension stretches one block from the park to Cypress Street, adding about 20 downtown parking spaces along the new street. The extension, along with the
walkway across Heritage Park, creates a continuous pedestrian route from the Alabama 59 bridge to Foley City Hall.

"This isn't just your typical building project opening a new street," Hellmich said. "This was a streetscape type of project that we've been doing for the past 15 years. I'm very proud of the consensus that everybody worked together. Ideas came from all over the place, from different committees, from staff and from council about what works and what won't to make this project look really, really nice."

Construction temporarily closed North Chicago Street for several weeks. Two new four-way stop signs are now in place at the intersections of North Chicago Street and North Cypress Street on East Jessamine Avenue.

The city partnered with Riviera Utilities to install decorative lighting on Jessamine Avenue. Decorative black poles holding LED lights now replace the wooden halogen poles on the park's south side. The new lights are more energy-efficient and will provide greater illumination.

The city's horticulture department plans to plant six trees along the new Jessamine extension to further beautify the area.