Cotton Avenue Plaza expansion in downtown Macon begins, section of road closes

Becky Purser

The $650,000 expansion of the Cotton Avenue Plaza in downtown Macon moved forward Wednesday with a groundbreaking and the permanent closing of a section of the street.

The project will expand the plaza on all sides — adding greenspace, benches, trees, other landscaping and beautification efforts. The plaza was once anchored by a Confederate monument that was relocated earlier this year.

This diagonal section of Cotton Avenue from Mulberry Street Lane to Lawrence Mayer Florist closes permanently for the expansion of the Cotton Avenue Plaza with the addition of green space, benches, trees, landscaping and other beautification efforts.
This diagonal section of Cotton Avenue from Mulberry Street Lane to Lawrence Mayer Florist closes permanently for the expansion of the Cotton Avenue Plaza with the addition of green space, benches, trees, landscaping and other beautification efforts.

The diagonal portion of Cotton Avenue from Mulberry Street Lane to Lawrence Mayer Florist is now closed permanently.

Cotton Avenue Plaza in downtown Macon rendering.
Cotton Avenue Plaza in downtown Macon rendering.

Other closures and traffic shifts are expected during construction, which is expected to take six-to-eight weeks, according to a Macon-Bibb County news release.

The rest of Cotton Avenue will become a one-way street.

The plaza expansion is part of the Macon Action Plan, which was developed using community input, needs and resources to plan for green spaces and parks, street and parking changes, and other upgrades in Macon’s Urban Core.

Cotton Avenue Plaza in downtown Macon rendering.
Cotton Avenue Plaza in downtown Macon rendering.

The project is being paid for by SPLOST revenue and funds from the Urban Development Authority and Community Foundation of Central Georgia, according to the release.

The Cotton Avenue Expansion was featured in this year’s NewTown Macon Tour of Progress last week.

After the relocation of a Confederate monument in June, this space at the corner of Cotton Avenue and Second Street is being expanded to add more greenspace, benches and trees.
After the relocation of a Confederate monument in June, this space at the corner of Cotton Avenue and Second Street is being expanded to add more greenspace, benches and trees.
This section of Cotton Avenue permanently closes from Mulberry Street Lane to where Lawrence Mayer Florist is located in downtown Macon for the expansion of the Cotton Avenue Plaza.
This section of Cotton Avenue permanently closes from Mulberry Street Lane to where Lawrence Mayer Florist is located in downtown Macon for the expansion of the Cotton Avenue Plaza.
Crews lower the Confederate monument on Cotton Avenue while removing it in this Telegraph file photo. The monument was relocated to Whittle Park in from of Rose Hill Cemetery. The Cotton Avenue Plaza is being expanded to add more greenspace, benches and trees.
Crews lower the Confederate monument on Cotton Avenue while removing it in this Telegraph file photo. The monument was relocated to Whittle Park in from of Rose Hill Cemetery. The Cotton Avenue Plaza is being expanded to add more greenspace, benches and trees.

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