VAN ALSTYNE, Texas (KXII) – A downtown revitalization project is lowering Van Alstyne’s century-old sidewalks to street level and adding ramps to bring the historic district into ADA compliance.
The sidewalks date back to the turn of the century when people made roads for horses and carriages. Mike Shaw, marketing and media manager for the city of Van Alstyne, said the high sidewalks served a practical purpose.
“That goes back to the turn of the century when people made roads for horses and carriages. People could get out of their carriage and step right onto the high sidewalk without having to get their feet in the mud and the horse manure, and so that was state-of-the-art, 100, 130 years ago,” Shaw said…