Downtown Fresno street set to close as Fulton Mall construction ramps up

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Work to bring vehicle traffic back to the Fulton Mall in Downtown Fresno will result in a street closure for 12 weeks. The intersection of Fulton and Tuolumne Avenues will be closed for the next three months as part of the Fulton District Revitalization Project.

"They're going to completely reconstruct the intersection," project manager Randall Morrison said. "So new asphalt, new curb returns, concrete."

Construction crews are busy at both ends as the Fulton Mall is being transformed into Fulton Street. Cement workers are putting touches on new sidewalks and a small stretch of asphalt has already been paved.

"It is very narrow," Morrison said. "It's designed for a very low speed."

But all the work has rerouted people's paths.

"It impacts us in a negative way," store owner Sung Lee said. "A lot of people think the downtown area is closed because of the construction and then you see a lot less foot traffic."

Lee sells shoes and caps among many other items. Shoppers will eventually be able to park outside Family Fashions but Lee is not convinced the project will improve business.

"I would like to be but, honestly, no," Lee said. "I think that it's just a bust."

Fulton Street will retain a connection to the past with 16 of the 21 water features will be replicas of the old ones. Aggregate banding will remain in the concrete and the clock tower will still be prominently displayed.

"Clock tower will be fully restored just like all the other artwork," Morrison said. "It will be relocated in the same intersection."

Some crews digging on site uncovered old pipes and even old tracks once used by the old Fresno trolley.