SAN DIEGO — During the pandemic, temporary gates were placed along Fifth Avenue, from Broadway to K Street. Steel bollards are now being used to keep cars from coming through the Gaslamp Promenade.
It's the city’s latest effort to keep safe walkability access for people and outdoor dining for businesses.
San Diego's vision to transform the Gaslamp Quarter into an outdoor attraction has been in the works for decades.
Blocking the street from vehicles is the first phase in the multi-phase project.
The next step is to freshen up streets by adding more trees and replacing asphalt, Gaslamp businesses approve of the vision
“It opens up restaurants like us who don’t always get the walk-in business because people don’t know. Now they can travel up and down and they can see us and come hang out and have a good time downtown,” said Sarah Ertmann, the manager for Huntress.
She says her customers and employees use the walkway every day so it opens up space for pedestrians. Many are excited to see what other projects city officials have underway.
A feasibility study is underway to calculate potential costs for phase two.
There are also talks of a walkable promenade on Normal Street in Hillcrest.
WATCH RELATED: San Diego inches closer to making Gaslamp Fifth Avenue Promenade a reality