MAUMEE, Ohio — The city of Maumee installed the first of four new arches Friday that will greet drivers through Uptown Maumee.
City Administrator Patrick Burtch said they will be complete with LEDs that can change hues as well as signs that say "Uptown Maumee."
The installation required a shutdown of Conant Street at the Perrysburg-Maumee bridge for a few hours.
Deborah Spychalski came out to see the new addition.
"It looks pretty good," Spychalski said. "They're doing quite a bit of things here in Maumee and it's looking very nice."
Spychalski said she lives about a mile away, where more construction is going on. Gibbs Street has been closed for two months where a roundabout is going in. There's also construction happening nearby on the Anthony Wayne Trail.
"I'm telling you, it's horrible and it's taking so long," Spychalski said. "It's not pleasant, trying to get from here to there in Maumee. People don't even want to come to Maumee right now. My friends, I go to their house."
Spychalski said she hopes all the work and traffic headaches are worth it and that she thinks they will be.
"People smarter than me drew up the plans, so presumably they know what they're doing," she said.
Some uptown business owners said the past few years have been tough here and there, but they're already starting to see the benefit.
Zeke Zalenski and Katie Meyer own Buster Brown's.
"Just look around," Zalenski said. "I think we see more people uptown than what we used to."
Increased foot traffic is exactly what city leaders said was the whole point of reducing four lanes of traffic to three lanes. It's a process that started back in 2020.
Meyer said these arches will make uptown more welcoming to patrons as well.
"I'm very excited about that. It's gonna put a nice effect for uptown Maumee and get us recognized," she said.
Burtch said three more arches are coming, each at a cost of $147,000. Conant Street will be shut down again for installation.
A power upgrade is coming along as well. Burtch said the technology will allow the street lights to automatically change based on the traffic flow, rather than being programmed on a timer.
It is not clear yet when it will all be complete, but folks in Maumee are looking forward to the end result.
"It's been a haul, but look at it," Zalenski said. "It's all for the better."