Local but lovely, a historic street in a Florida town is getting a new-old makeover, that will restore the oldie charm and reduce traffic risk for pedestrians.
The key to clearing both these hurdles in one leap is the recently-commenced re-bricking of 7th Avenue in Ybor City, near Tampa Bay, where contractors have sourced some 60,000 bricks made with local clay for the job.
Brick streets are common all over the world; less so in the US. But along with adding a touch of the rustic to any street scene, they act like automatic speed traps, because as anyone who’s ever driven on one knows, it sends a tremendous racket and vibration through the car.
7th Avenue was lined with bricks for decades until they were replaced by asphalt in the 1960s. Local business and community leaders said they had been pushing for this change for 10 years as part of a way to make the area safer and encourage more people to visit downtown Ybor.
Ybor was founded in 1886 by cigar manufacturers and populated almost entirely by immigrants from Cuba, Italy, and Spain.
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The bricks to be used were made as far back as 100 years ago, and crews will lay each one by hand before leveling the road the ensure it’s accessible for scooters and cyclists.
The project was slated to begin on April 16th and finish in early May, while all shops and sidewalks will remain open.
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