Wheaton Gateway project to open sidewalk on weekends

Developers of the Wheaton Gateway project at the corner of Veirs Mill Road and University Boulevard East have, as promised, announced some changes to improve pedestrian safety around the property that is home to the former Howard Johnson hotel and restaurant (more recently known as The Ambassador apartments). Through the end of February, they say the sidewalk will only be closed to pedestrians on weekdays between 7:00 AM and 4:00 PM.

This should help some during the heaviest commuting times, and especially in the evening rush hours, when the sun sets early at this time of year. The developers also say that, as a result, demolition work will pause on weekends this month.

A second change, which they alluded to in an announcement last week, is that flaggers will now be present during sidewalk closures. As I reported last week, many pedestrians were walking into (or worse, with their back to) oncoming traffic to avoid the long pedestrian detour around the site.