Project Overview:
The Downtown Safety & Streetscape Project will take place on Main Street between Cherry and Mulberry Streets, on Market Street between Franklin and Water Streets, and around the Public Square. As previously announced, the project will include multiple safety, structural, and design upgrades to Troy’s historic downtown, including utility, sidewalk, curb, pavement, and aesthetic improvements.
In July of 2025, Council approved a proposed Prouty Plaza reconstruction as part of this larger reconstruction project.
Timeline:
The project went to bid in July 2026. A timeline is forthcoming.
Updates:
The project intends to replace aging infrastructure. The curb and sidewalk require replacement, especially in areas where stormwater pools and trip hazards exist. The existing water lines require replacement to provide more capacity. There are portions where the walk is narrow between storefronts and vehicular areas. There are multiple locations where crosswalks can be improved to increase pedestrian safety.
Improvements in pedestrian safety are a priority of this project. There are multiple design elements addressing pedestrian safety.
- Proposed curb bump-outs at crosswalk locations reduce the crossing distance for pedestrians, provide better visibility of pedestrians, and help to influence vehicles to drive more slowly.
- Raised pedestrian refuge islands in the middle of the crosswalks on all four legs of the roundabout will constrain vehicle speeds while allowing pedestrians to focus on crossing one direction of traveled way at a time.
- Revisions to the locations of storm sewer catch basins will reduce the water ponding that currently forms at several of the existing curb ramps. Increasing sidewalk widths adjacent to the buildings within the square will provide more space for pedestrians between storefronts and the parking lots.
- The proposed sidewalk reconstruction will provide a more consistent surface as opposed to the existing sidewalk that has locations with uneven surfaces due to settling.
- The reconstructed curbs will provide a consistent curb height reveal and create a safer buffer between vehicles and pedestrians.
- Bollards and/or other forms of crowd protection will be evaluated for implementation with the project. These would provide pedestrian protection when the entire square or portions of the streets/parking are closed to vehicles during special events.
- Revisions to the roundabout geometry will pull the circulatory roadway away from the crosswalk locations and reduce competing decision-making for drivers.
This project will not encourage vehicles to drive faster. Entrances to the roundabout at each of the crosswalks will be maintained to their current width or reduced in width by vertical curbs and raised islands to calm traffic flow into and out of the roundabout. This reconstruction offers an opportunity to optimize the square to better balance the available area between vehicular travel, parking, sidewalks, and outdoor gathering spaces.
The streetscape project seeks to incorporate Prouty Plaza improvements into the design for the northwest quadrant.
The intent of the project is to perpetuate the current number of parking spaces as much as possible. In the existing condition, there are 70 parking spaces within the square. The conceptual design has 69 parking spaces in the proposed condition. The total number of proposed parking spaces will not be finalized until the detailed design is completed. In addition, the existing spaces that are marked as Compact Car spaces only will likely be converted to full spaces as a result of the improved bump-outs and roundabout configuration, improving sight distances.
These enhancements include wider sidewalks for outdoor dining, seating walls, planting beds, event platforms, and small lawn areas. It is desired to maintain a public space that is more adaptable to different community uses. Limited locations of seat walls will be included in the detailed design.