KINGSVILLE, Tx — For those who have driven through downtown Kingsville this month or stopped at any of the local shops, they’ve been impacted by ongoing construction.
The City of Kingsville is resurfacing their 100 year old Main Street to give it a facelift.
The resurfacing project is costing the city just shy of $700,000 that they had already previously set aside for this specific project.
The city said many big events like parades happen downtown and they want it to look nice and feel safe.
The new surface re-pavement should last 20 years and involves cool pavement technology. That means it’s made to stay cooler than black asphalt. Kingsville is the first city in South Texas to try out the new cool pavement technology, which is visible already to some.
“We love it. It’s a little bright and there’s a little glare, but we know that will tone down as cars drive over it,” owner of Ol’ Girls Kitchen Mary Ann Woodruff said.
The resurfacing project was done in sections to reduce the impact of construction. Woodruff's section is finished which brought her relief, but it was rough going for a while.
But it wasn’t the easiest time when their side of the street was closed off.
“We are very excited that it’s done. It was not good for business and not everybody does Facebook, but we put on Facebook that you could come in through the back, but everybody isn’t on that. So it really hurt our business for a while,” Woodruff said.
Other local businesses like Blue Quail Designs said they also had a bit of a hit, but nothing major enough to push them back.
“Customers… if they don’t have a parking space they just keep going. We had a real good day the first day it was closed and we had days that we didn’t do anything, but we have to put up with it because it needs to be done. I can’t complain because it’s looking good and it will make Kingsville look better,” owner Alan Turner said.
While construction is still ongoing, there is extra parking behind some of the businesses for those who still want to shop or eat downtown.
“There’s a whole block of parking back there that either people can park and walk down 6th to get to Kleberg or walk down 7th to get to Kleberg. They can even just walk through here if they want to,” owner of Harrel’s Pharmacy Nick Harrel said.
Construction crew members said they are hoping to finish the last section of resurfacing by Thursday afternoon.
This is just one part of a bigger project. Kingsville Mayor Sam Fugate said the city has plans to have King Avenue from the Kleberg County Courthouse to Kingsville City Hall resurfaced within the next four years.
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