Updates on the Market House Construction Reshaping Fayetteville

When you first arrived in downtown Fayetteville, whether as a visitor or a new resident, the market house in the center of the bustle likely caught your eye immediately. Its bright red exterior mixed with its historical foundation connects the advanced city to its roots going back centuries. A few weeks ago, construction began that closed off one of the streets connected to this staple of the city.

With this ongoing project comes the current partial closure of Hay Street, and according to a Downtown Alliance meeting on Wednesday, July 22nd, each phase of the construction plan closures are estimated to take about 2-3 weeks per phase. City representatives noted that during the duration of the project, only one block will be closed at a time for traffic; moreover, they are trying to limit specific portions of the street so most of it is still available. For now, only the 100 block of Hay Street closest to the market house is closed.

It is worth remembering that businesses alongside the road, even those in front of the construction, are still open to the public! Foot traffic is allowed for everyone who wishes to walk on the sidewalks that are not blocked off. Additionally, parking on the street side, although limited, is also still allowed for the parts of the street not yet closed off. A U-turn might be necessary, but parking on the side is open for most traffic.

In terms of the detour signs, some may be deterred by their appearance and stray away from downtown, either because they got lost, or they simply didn’t want to worry about going so far from the heart of the city and walking to retrace their steps. With that, a potential solution was proposed to change the way the signs are presented to help clear confusion, as well as to keep visitors interested in exploring our rich downtown.

Another possible solution for downtown business owners and visitors alike is the introduction of a webpage managed by the City where any updates and changes affecting people’s visits, business, or parking would be announced online for ease of viewing. In case there was a delay in construction, or perhaps a different detour route had to be conjured for safe traffic, those updates would be shared to the public. This was an idea introduced at the meeting, so it is not yet implemented.

In closing, Fayetteville City Manager Douglas J. Hewett urged those with questions to contact him anytime through email at doughewett@fayettevillenc.gov, or phone at (910) 433-1990. He explained that updates about the market house construction are his priority of wanting to know, too, so he implores people to reach out with any concerns they may have.

This market house renewal and construction is helping downtown Fayetteville move towards a cleaner, more accessible city for all kinds of people, whether they are business owners, employees, or tourists. Patience is a virtue, and I’m eager to see how this promising work turns out!

Bianca Santiago

Editorial Intern

FAYNC Magazine