It’s been a few months since I’ve been able to post photos of what has been changing in downtown Fresno. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to explore the area and take photos, so I present to you a different type of update. Here are some photos I took in May, along with a look at what those projects look like this week, with photos sourced from friendly people around the web. It’s amazing how much (and how little!) can change in 3 months.
Tuolumne Bridge – High Speed Rail ProjectÂ
When I last visited this project, it looked like this:
And now it looks like this:
Source: High Speed Rail Authority
The bridge is slated to be completed this year.
Fulton Mall
It is very difficult to provide a summary of the Fulton Mall, because it is such a massive project. That is, every block is in a different stage of development, as you can see in my full post here. However, the most obvious changes are at the southern end, where construction began.
My photos from May:
Steve Skibbie provides a look at progress this week from overhead.
And the Fresno Bee from the ground.
Bus Rapid Transit
Bus Rapid Transit is sort of under construction. I say sort of because Fresno is no longer getting anything that resembles BRT. But those sweet, sweet transit funds are being put to use. The project involves realigning some bus stops – which happens to be a perfect opportunity to rebuilt the Van Ness underpass. Indeed, it’s why BRT is so expensive, most of the funding is being used to upgrade old car infrastructure, like traffic lights, and do so while spending transit funds. Sad.
I don’t have a before photo, so here is a rendering of the new intersection (above the underpass)
And another great photo by Steve Skibbie.
And one from the Downtown Fresno Partnership
It’s not all transportation related!
The Lede
The Lede is a full block residential development by GV Urban. It looked mostly done when I photographed it in May, but apparently got held up by utility issues and will open next month. Here are my photos from May:
And an interior shot by GV Urban.
Nearby preservation of a beautiful brick building is underway.
Cultural Arts Park
Progress has been very slow on the Cultural Arts park, which is now about a year behind schedule.
From May:
Christopher Rocha shared updated photos on the Downtown Fresno Facebook page.
South Tower
And finally, moving a little north, to 541 at South Tower, a brand new building constructed in a beautiful art deco style.
Here it is back in May:
And more recently on the Facebook page:
Bonus: The style fits in with the area:
There’s a lot going on, regarding infrastructure, although this investment has yielded little private (unsubsidized) investment. Let’s hope that changes soon.
Other development in the area includes:
-Yet another expansion to Community Medical Center
-BitWise technology center
-The renovation of Warehouse Row.
The First5 building was also finished, which I profiled before, and the Greyhound station is about to be demolished.
I’ll probably do another photo update before the end of the year, when the Fulton project is completed.
Thanks for the update James. I think I'm gona go for a bike ride in DTF to check out all the new construction.
This coming Thursday, Fresno City Council will have a workshop (non-voting meeting) on FAX system overhaul. Discussion Item is 16-931. Page 18-19 show an overview of the system and the proposed changes in routes, frequency increases, and route additions/deletions.
Thanks for the tip!
I know this sounds like really dark humour, but when you screw up so much you can only just laugh at yourself, right?!
https://youtube.com/watch?v=vxopfjXkArM
But in all seriousness, try walking along Herndon, Shaw, or Blackstone any of Fresno's "main streets"/throughfares and you get what's in the end of the video.But seriously, how has Fresno let car traffic travel at highway speeds immediately next to major educational institutions and major public venue locations and stores? Car traffic can't react to pedestrians trying to legally cross the street, how's that even safe?
The worst are the schools, and they put up school zone 25mph signs. Uh huh, like thats happening on a 6 lane highway designed foe 55mph.
They could narrow the traffic lanes by the addition of greenery to the shoulders and the addition of bike lanes. They could restripe the street to reflect lower appropriate speeds, add marked continental crosswalks, add a 30-35mph speed limit on Shaw by Fresno State and the Save Mary Center. A biggie would be something to accommodate for FAX, maybe even bus lanes though I love to dream of dedicated ROW for light rail like San Diego's trolley. In all seriousness the traffic and high volume of passengers is much too high for the Route 9 FAX buses. Buses will literally run as bad as an entire half hour late on that street..
..so slow that the bus a half hour can actually catch up and overtake the late bus.
The downtown Fresno is undergoing lots of projects at a time. Awaiting to see the completion of these awesome infrastructures. Thanks for sharing all the undergoing constructions. The city is having a complete make over. This is the advancement in the construction industry that is making it possible to build unbelievable infrastructure. I think all these pictures are available in Flickr, I'll try to collect more similar photos from there.