City of Fresno officials will hold a ceremonial groundbreaking on March 3 to kick-off the $20 million project that will convert the pedestrian-only Fulton Mall back into a regular two-way street.

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The event will take place in Downtown Fresno from 4 to 5 p.m. where Merced Street intersects with Fulton.

Mayor Ashley Swearengin and members of the Fresno City Council are scheduled to speak at the ceremony. Swearengin was instrumental in generating support for the conversion project, which will be funded, in part, by a $17 million federal transportation grant.

Mark Standriff, Fresno’s communications and public affairs director, said city officials selected the location for the groundbreaking “because that is the exact same place the groundbreaking was held for the Fulton Mall project in March 1964.”

Peeve’s Public House will host a “special Fulton Street celebration” after the groundbreaking ceremony and a number of other events will also be happening downtown on the same evening, including Art Hop and a Fresno Fuegos’ soccer match.

Standriff said as many as 1,000 people are expected to attend the event, including a number of elected officials from around the Valley and state.

Actual work on the conversion project may not begin until the middle of March, Standriff added.