Downtown square improvement update

TYLER — The City of Tyler hosted an open house on Tuesday morning to provide updates on the progress of improvements to the downtown square.

During the open house, city officials announced that construction on College Street is expected to be completed by May, when it will transition from a one-way street to a two-way street. Officials used renderings to outline the timeline for the remainder of the development and discussed the expected benefits of the ongoing work. The project aims to improve safety and accessibility in the area through infrastructure changes and updated traffic patterns.

Garnett Brookshire, co-owner of the Plaza Tower, has monitored the construction progress from his office window. He noted that the project represents a significant capital investment that could change the district’s atmosphere.

“This is a positive impact on downtown and our property and for all of downtown,” Brookshire said. “This is a generational change. Folks are going to really have a sense of ownership and pride in their downtown again because it’s been a long time since we’ve invested this kind of capital down here.”

According to Amber Varona, the Downtown Director for the City of Tyler, the work on College Street will replace traditional one-way lanes with two-way traffic. This phase of the construction is scheduled to be finished by May of this year.

The broader improvement plan also includes installing wider sidewalks. Varona said once the project is complete, the combination of two-way streets and expanded walkways is expected to create a safer, more pedestrian-friendly environment for district residents.

The entire downtown improvement project is scheduled to be completed in 2028.