Beginning Monday, Sept. 11, Waterman will be closed from Main Street west to the Hyatt. Access to the Hyatt, Gander Mountain and other businesses in the immediate area will be through Dewey, Lewis and Wichita streets.
Detours have been planned to minimize the impact on businesses in the area and signs will direct traffic around construction. Only local traffic is encouraged in the area to avoid traffic congestion.
Pedestrian access from the Gander Mountain parking to the Hyatt or Century II is limited to walking on the bike path along the east bank of the river or walking on the sidewalk on the east side of Main Street. All pedestrian routes through the WaterWalk development area have been blocked by construction and will remain closed for months.
This realignment of Waterman is being constructed as part of the WaterWalk project. Improvements in the area have been underway since the end of July. Construction began at the Arkansas River with the installation of a storm drainage and water pipe and will proceed to the east, ending just east of Main Street. The schedule calls for Waterman Street to be re-constructed from east to west, with completion scheduled for mid-December 2006.
Street and utility work within the WaterWalk site is currently underway. The work will continue into the spring of 2007 and will be completed later that year. The moving of streets and utilities is the first step in WaterWalk construction because land must be cleared and infrastructure developed before buildings can be built.
WaterWalk Construction
While the work along Waterman is underway, WaterWalk will begin constructing their next major structure. This building, on the west side of Main Street at Lewis Street, will include a 465-car parking garage, 48 luxury condominiums and retail space on the first floor. On the west side of the building will be a public amphitheater with seating for about 1500 people. This will be completed in spring of 2008. The Wichita Area Association of Realtors building will also start in the fall of 2006 and is scheduled to be completed the summer of 2007. Other buildings are expected to begin construction in 2007.
Parking Reminder
The most noticeable changes so far have been for patrons attending events and activities in and around Century II. Parking has been limited for these events since the surface lot south of the Hyatt Parking Garage closed in July for construction. As a reminder, there are still areas for Hyatt and Century II patrons to park:
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The Hyatt Parking Garage is still available to patrons of the Hyatt hotel and its restaurants and events.
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The City of Wichita striped and lighted a city-owned lot on the southwest corner of Waco and 1st Street for public parking. This lot has nearly 200 parking stalls.
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The Garvey Center has graciously allowed for free parking in their lots and garage after 5 p.m. on weekdays and any time on the weekends, including:
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The surface lot behind 250 Douglas Place (the building with the purple lights) on the southwest corner of Water and 1st Streets. There are 163 spaces.
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The surface lot on Wichita Street between 1st and 2nd Streets. There are 500 spaces.
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Inside the parking garage located north of the RH Garvey Building, 300 West Douglas.
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Also, the Broadview Parking garage is available for public parking, located across the street from the City-owned lot at Waco and 1st Street. This lot is shared with hotel guests and has about 500 parking spots.
There is enough parking in the downtown area to meet the needs of Century II patrons. The only requirement is a different way of thinking: go north of Century II, rather than south, as in the parking options offered above. Also, the Gander Mountain Parking garage and surface lot south of the Hyatt are public parking and are available for Hyatt and Century II patrons. Their combined capacity is 512 parking spots.
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