Denise Dalton has been pleading with the city to add sidewalks and improve drainage along R Street since the mid-'70s. That's when she and her husband Bill opened the Fox and Goose pub at 10th and R. Years ago, Bill even kayaked down a flooded R Street as a publicity stunt.
"I am so grateful. And actually, it's funny how things have rolled along - including Bill in the kayak."
Mayor Kevin Johnson: "This is the R Street Rebirth".
Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson points out this stretch of R Street between 10th and 13th will be transformed from a dark row of factories and warehouses to a pedestrian-friendly street with raised walkways and streetlights.
"It's been a whole lot of things. But what it's about to become going forward is going to be really significant for our community. This is an opportunity to put our mark on the R Street Corridor."
The $6.6 million project is being funded by a combination of federal grants and local Measure A tax revenues. Johnson says the project will create 170 jobs.
Work crews will start construction later this month and wrap up by next summer.