No one builds a new house and chooses to refill it with the old broken-down furnishings, right?

Similarly, attractive and functional new "street furniture" is now installed along Cumberland Avenue - KAT bus shelters, benches, bike racks and newspaper racks. Trash and recycling receptacles will be in place soon. There's energy-efficient LED lighting, with lamps stationed at different heights to best illuminate the sidewalks and roadway.

"We're very excited that Cumberland Avenue has become a true destination point, rather than a cut-through commuter route," said Anne Wallace, the City's Deputy Director of Redevelopment who managed the Cumberland project. "The new Cumberland is a place that's comfortable for pedestrians. With the wide sidewalks and new street furniture, patrons and visitors can walk, sit and enjoy the experience of being on Cumberland."

Here are some photos of the new "street furniture" on Cumberland:


New bike racks have been added along Cumberland Avenue. Note the decorative bricks; east of this spot are beds where landscaping and trees will be planted this fall. 


Benches were added along Cumberland to help make it more pedestrian-friendly, but also to create inviting public gathering places in front of the retail stores and restaurants. In the background, notice the cranes; the 1830 residential and retail development under construction is part of $190 million in recent private investment in the corridor.


Here's a look at the 2000 block of Cumberland - lots of landscaping, LED streetlights, benches and a median island, which directs left turns to intersections for better traffic flow while enhancing pedestrian safety.


Decorative, energy-efficient LED lights are among the many sustainable design features added along the Cumberland corridor.



The reconstructed Cumberland Avenue will officially be dedicated with a ribbon-cutting at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 17, at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy courtyard and lobby (17th Street and Cumberland Avenue).

Gov. Bill Haslam, Mayor Madeline Rogero, members of City Council and Cumberland Avenue business owners and stakeholders will be celebrating the completion of the 28-month top-to-bottom reconstruction of Cumberland Avenue. The project is wrapping up in the coming weeks – on time and within budget.

Cumberland Avenue between 17th and 22nd streets has been transformed into a safer, more pedestrian-friendly corridor with new utility infrastructure, wider sidewalks, improved traffic flow, a raised median and left-turn lanes at intersections. The public investment of $25 million has helped leverage more than $190 million in private investment.