LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – In November, voters will once again get to decide the future of Broadway’s historic bricks.
The Lubbock City Council on Tuesday night approved a $103.4 million road bond proposal that includes seven sections of roads within the city.
The most expensive project in the proposal is Broadway from Avenue Q to Avenue E. If voters approve the use of the bond funds, that portion of the road through the heart of downtown will receive $16 million.
After lengthy discussion, the City Council decided to retain the plan recommended by the Citizens Advisory Committee to remove the original brickwork, repave the roadway, turning lanes, parking and bike lanes with concrete, and install new brick paving at intersections and crosswalks.
Greg Settler is hopeful voters will come to the meeting in November to repeal the proposal and leave the original bricks in place. He rents office space on Broadway and his mother has had a business on the downtown street for more than 50 years.
“It should definitely stay. I think it’s been here as long as I’ve been alive. I think it’s a historic part of Lubbock,” he said.
He and others who want to preserve the original bricks spoke out at a City Council meeting Tuesday night.
District 6 City Councilman Tim Collins led the discussion on adding an additional $3 million to the bond to keep the historic bricks at the intersection instead of brick paving, but ultimately the council recommended keeping the plan as is and removing the historic bricks from Avenue Q to Avenue E entirely.
Fifth District City Councilwoman Dr. Jennifer Wilson brought up the failure of the 2021 road bond, which includes $40 million for major improvements on Broadway, during Tuesday’s discussion.
“At the time, the majority of Lubbock residents were unhappy with the cost of the brick on Broadway, which led to the bond issue failing,” she said, “and I would not like to see the same mistake repeated when a small percentage of our residents have a strong attachment to the brick.”
Marsha Johnson, owner of Sweet Creations Bakery, hopes there will be a brick-free day, but at the same time, she said she has seen how stalled construction projects have affected small businesses.
“They’re just going to ruin my cake. I know the cake is historic and important, but I don’t like the bricks,” she said. “I have some questions. It just depends on how long it takes them to do the job.”
Marcia Breckenridge also works downtown and would like to see the historic bricks reused, but removed from the street.
“I think it’s cool, I love the historic bricks, but my husband is a mechanic and he doesn’t want them on our car,” Breckenridge said. “In my hometown of Neosho, Missouri, they used some of the original bricks to build a sidewalk around the plaza.”
The plan calls for the historic bricks on the lot to be cleaned and donated to the city so they can be used for other purposes. Some city council members expressed concern about whether the bricks would be able to transition and for how long they would last.
Broadway is just one part of the $103.4 million road bond.
Approved projects included in the November 2024 street bond election. (KCBD)
Copyright 2024 KCBD. All rights reserved.
