Fayette County

Pedway over Main and Vine streets is coming down after 27 years. It will not be replaced

A 27-year-old pedway that connects Central Bank Center to The Square will be dismantled starting this weekend. Parts of Main Street in the center of downtown will be closed.

Constructed in 1993 as part of an effort to connect much of downtown’s core through elevated walkways, the pedway must be removed as part of the ongoing renovations and expansion of the Lexington Convention Center and Rupp Arena.

Crews will disassemble the elevated walkway over the next two weekends. It will not be replaced as part of the expansion of the convention center.

Inbound Main Street, which becomes Vine Street where the road splits to become one-way, will be closed between Felix Street and Broadway 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday to allow for the removal of the first half of the elevated pedway.

The turn lane from Main Street onto Vine Street around Triangle Park will also be closed.

Outbound West Main Street between Broadway and Felix Street will be closed 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 29 and Aug. 30 to allow for the removal of the remaining half.

Workers erected one of the last beams supporting a walkway leading from the second floors of Victorian Square to the Lexington Center, July 17, 1993. Parts of Main and Vine streets were closed during the overnight hours as the 96-foot, 43,000-pound beam was put in position. The pedway opened later in the fall, giving pedestrians the ability to to walk through a complete circuit of enclosed passageways linking the Radisson Plaza Hotel, the Market Place, Victorian Square and the Lexington Center.
Workers erected one of the last beams supporting a walkway leading from the second floors of Victorian Square to the Lexington Center, July 17, 1993. Parts of Main and Vine streets were closed during the overnight hours as the 96-foot, 43,000-pound beam was put in position. The pedway opened later in the fall, giving pedestrians the ability to to walk through a complete circuit of enclosed passageways linking the Radisson Plaza Hotel, the Market Place, Victorian Square and the Lexington Center. Mark Cornelison 1993 staff file photo

This story was originally published August 21, 2020 at 1:30 PM.

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Beth Musgrave
Lexington Herald-Leader
Beth Musgrave has covered government and politics for the Herald-Leader for more than a decade. A graduate of Northwestern University, she has worked as a reporter in Kentucky, Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois and Washington D.C. Support my work with a digital subscription
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