University Parks reopening in downtown Waco possible June 1

Crews began paving the road and were almost done before heavy rain Wednesday evening forced them to stop, Assistant City Manager Paul Cain said. The heavy downpour damaged about 300 linear feet of the newly paved road. But heading into Memorial Day weekend, only repairs to the damaged section and striping remained to be completed before the road could be reopened to traffic, Cain said.

Even after Wednesday's rainy setback, a June 1 opening date is possible, Cain said.

According to the National Weather Service, Waco had a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms Friday night before clearing over the weekend. Rain chances return Monday night and continue throughout the week.

Most of the construction has focused on the stretch between Interstate 35 and Franklin Avenue, which the city plans to serve as a sort of welcome to downtown Waco and the Riverfront development. University Parks closures began at the Webster Avenue intersection in November 2020.

Some stretches have since been briefly reopened, but the stretch has largely been off-limits. Recently, the closure has been extended from I-35 to Jackson Avenue, which officials said they expect to be open in just over a week.

While the road is scheduled to reopen to traffic soon and include new landscaping, work will continue on the beautification aspects of the street project. In February, the city council approved $4.2 million for road work and the construction of sidewalks and landscaping, which is expected to last through July.

Because the I-35 intersection is a highly visible corner and the first entrance to downtown from the freeway, the city plans to add decorative sidewalks, trees, shrubs and additional lighting along the roadway and average to welcome visitors to Waco.

The closure of the University Parks has been difficult for the companies on the road. In recent years, several restaurants and businesses along and near the University Parks stretch have closed, including 900 Degrees Pizzeria, Honky Tonk Kid BBQ, Fuzzy's Taco Shop and Bicycle World.

Thomas Roberts, owner of J-Petal and Poke, said his family's business has never been able to realize its true potential because of construction in both University Parks and I-35. Roberts said his family opened the poke bowl and Thai ice cream restaurant at 315 S. University Parks Drive in October 2018 and has been involved in road construction for as long as they have operated their business

Despite the lack of traffic coming through the restaurant, Roberts said he and his family have been fortunate to have some success, enough to open a second location in Hewitt. With the opening of Parcs Universitaris, he said he expects a big increase in business because of more traffic coming through the restaurant.

Roberts said most of J-Petal's business comes from Baylor University students, and he's noticed that Waco natives tend to avoid downtown because of all the construction. He said he's excited to see the college parks finally open.

“Locals don't want to come downtown right now,” Roberts said. “Once they open it up, I'm sure we'll see a huge increase in locals wanting to come downtown and take their kids to Cameron Park, just come downtown and enjoy the city they've been living in.”