The City of Arlington will celebrate the re-opening of New York Avenue with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon Monday, Feb. 3 at the intersection of Park Row Drive and New York Avenue.

Construction began in July 2001 on the one-mile stretch from Abram Street to Park Row Drive. Each weekday, more than 12,000 cars travel through the intersection of New York Avenue and Park Row Drive.

As the street was being reconstructed, the City of Arlington installed new sidewalks, retaining walls, and water and sewer drainage pipelines.

According to Project Engineer Mandy Clark, the $5.8 million project also includes street construction on Park Row Drive from New York Avenue to Collins Street. This four-lane reconstruction is scheduled for completion in April 2003.

Voters authorized funding for pavement upgrades in this area in the 1999 Bond Election. East Arlington Renewal President Sue Phillips served as the co-chair of the Citizen Bond Committee in 1999.

"We fought very hard to get New York Avenue improvements into that bond package, and we succeeded," she said.

Phillips said the residential and business community is excited about the completion of New York Avenue and looks forward to the completion of Park Row Drive in the spring.