The north side of 51st Street at Lewis Avenue slowly is losing its businesses, and not just the tenants. The Bank of America building and drive-through, shown in this photo, are closed and awaiting demolition. A convenience store on the intersection's northwest corner already is gone. To the west, El Chico is closed, its sign standard empty and building vacated, awaiting the same fate as the bank. Continuing west to the bottom of the hill, once-thriving businesses, such as Tires Plus and the former Southern Hills Garage, either are vacant or have been reduced to empty lots. To the east, a seven-story office building stands empty, also awaiting its demise. Before long, all of the land between 51st Street and I-44 in a 1.5 mile section will be vacant, awaiting its next use - that of an expanded Interstate 44. According to ODOT maps, the interstate will be on a new, straighter alignment slightly south of its present alignment from east of Harvard Avenue to near Riverside Drive. This new alignment will route the highway through the area where these buildings stand today, thereby replacing the meandering roadway between Utica and Delaware avenues with a straight route. At Lewis Avenue, a new bridge will be built south of the present span to accommodate the new roadway. This work will close Lewis Avenue for an extended time period. However, work at Lewis Avenue likely will not begin for several more years. In the meantime, the business landscape slowly is changing. Photo taken Dec. 5, 2009.
