Downtown Wheaton to celebrate end of streetscape project

Wheaton leaders will gather Saturday to celebrate the completion of a $35 million project downtown.

The city has rebuilt streets, replaced underground infrastructure, reconfigured parking, installed wider sidewalks and created new public gathering spaces designed to set the downtown apart from other suburban business districts.

"This project has been in the works for more than a decade, and it took a tremendous amount of planning and coordination to complete a project of this scope - especially with the arrival of the pandemic," Assistant City Manager John Duguay said in a statement. "While we worked to mitigate disruptions to local businesses and traffic as much as possible, we appreciate the cooperation and flexibility of our downtown businesses and our community throughout this process."

The celebration will take place near a new pavilion at Main Street and Liberty Drive in partnership with the Downtown Wheaton Association. The event will feature a DJ starting at 9 a.m.; a stilt walker and juggler from 9 a.m. to noon; face-painting from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and remarks from city officials and a ribbon-cutting at 10:30 a.m.

The event also coincides with the French market operated by Bensidoun USA in and around the downtown pavilion.