West Academy Street will be closed at Jesse Jewell Parkway nightly Sunday through Wednesday for crosswalk improvements.

Each night, the road will be closed at 8:30 p.m. and reopen at 6:30 a.m. the next morning.

The work is part of a Gainesville project to improve pedestrian safety and access at five busy intersections.

Thermoplastic material mimicking brick pavers has been or is being installed on crosswalks on E.E. Butler Parkway at Washington and Spring streets and on Jesse Jewell at Bradford, Main and West Academy streets.

“Our goal is to connect surrounding neighborhoods to our downtown district,” Assistant City Manager Angela Sheppard has said.

Portions of Main Street also will be closed beginning Monday ahead of streetscaping work scheduled to begin there in June.

Workers will be boring under Jesse Jewell to replace 100-year-old cast-iron water lines.

Both the northbound and southbound sides of Main at the intersection with Jesse Jewell will be closed for about three weeks, Sheppard said, and the southbound side is expected to be closed a total of eight weeks.

The upcoming streetscaping project is slated to run from Jesse Jewell to College Avenue, bringing new and wider sidewalks, landscaped areas and decorative lighting. It will eventually connect to the Midtown Greenway and pedestrian bridge, according to Sheppard.

“We want to thank everyone in advance for their patience,” Sheppard added. “We know this will be inconvenient for downtown motorists. We will make sure the detour routes are clearly marked.”