Say Bye-Bye To Broadway Bricks In Lubbock

The city of Lubbock held a ceremonial groundbreaking to herald a major change to Lubbock's Broadway Street. The downtown section of the street will be stripped of its signature bricks and will become a three-lane concrete road. Is this a major improvement, or is Lubbock shedding its history?

People Who Work Nearby Tend To Agree: The Bricks Are Bogus

Sure, the bricks are beautiful, and do carry history, and dare I say whimsy into the area. However, driving over the bricks day after day will wear out your tires, your suspension, and your nerves. The only way to have kept the bricks would have been to make Broadway a pedestrian-only thoroughfare, and Lubbock just isn't ready for that. We are not a city of walkers, nor do we have public transportation at any significant level.

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The Bricks Will Live On, Sorta

In a move of compromise and as an homage to Broadway's history, the project will include,"engineered brick pavers with alternating colors [...] placed at intersections and crosswalks." That will probably look quite nice and slow people down a little bit in what will hopefully become a more dense and active area for foot traffic.

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Other Major Improvements

One thing downtown Lubbock has majorly needed for many years is a single leaf, perhaps one blade of grass. I've felt strongly about that and am finally getting my wish: this project will include the planting of trees on both sides of Broadway. Yay for shade! And oxygen!

Additionally the area will be made much more friendly for pedestrians and people on bikes/ scooters, etc., with dedicated bike lanes, bike racks, new sidewalks and benches.

That sounds downright welcoming. Which is the only way we will actually revitalize  downtown.