In case you’ve somehow missed out on all the hubbub, Garland Avenue is getting a makeover. An extreme makeover, that is. Complete with a new hairstyle, full wardrobe and most importantly, a double D boob-job. In other words, as soon as construction begins, I’m going to have a heckuva time pulling out onto Garland from the side street I live on. But it’ll be worth it.

The stretch of Garland between Harps and the U of A that already received an update a few years ago is awesome. It’s northern counterpart, however, is a clogged artery and is in dire need of some attention. The sidewalks are broken and uneven and the traffic jams at Sycamore and Deane are enough to make you curse an undeserving, friendly neighbor for being too timid to make a daring left turn into oncoming traffic.

Thanks to Ward 2 Alderman Matthew Petty, there’s a great write-up about where the project currently stands including a link in the comments section to a survey that residents can fill out to give the City a chance to hear what the current citizen opinion is.

Citizen opinion on this matter is very important, according to Petty. Apparently, lack of agreement between the City and local residents has caused similar widening projects from the past to be completely void of any attempts at beautification. Since Garland doubles as a state highway, we’ve got to convince the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department not to just stick in a five lane road and be done with it. But if we can’t agree on what we want, the state has a history of becoming impatient and just building a gigantic runway instead of including medians, trees, refuges, etc.

The survey is a great start but to take it even further, a 6:30pm meeting has been scheduled for tonight at Trinity United Methodist Church on the corner of Sycamore and Garland. During the meeting, topics discussed will be:

• Proposed changes and street design
• A history of Garland, relevant proposals, and the street bond issue
• How we can be strategic with the Highway Department
• Why we need to get started soon

If you’ve got anything to add or just want to hear about the proposed plans and see what your neighbors think, consider coming out this evening. The future of Garland Avenue might depend on it.