“With the bombs going off and then concrete walls separating the street, no one could walk or cross the street before,” the restaurant owner said. He said he was barely making it, but now people are stopping to look at the walls and getting a bite to eat in the process. Another local business owner of a carpenter shop between Sadoun and Abu Nuwas streets said he hasn’t really worked since the barriers went up. He said in the previous eight years before the barriers, he had always been busy. He said he’s very happy the walls were painted and people stop and look. Also, he said the clean-up on adjacent Abu Nuwas Street should help the entire neighborhood come back to prominence like the old days. Under Operation Fardh Al-Qanoon, also known as the Baghdad Security Plan, the Abu Nuwas Market is going to be re-opened for public use. This should mean more customers for Sadoun Street merchants, as well. The rebuilding of Abu Nuwas Street has already begun as repairs on sidewalks, parking renovations, street cleaning, trash removal and overall beautification has started. In addition, barrier removal plans are being conducted by the 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, currently operating as part of the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. Maj. Anthony Judge, the executive officer for 1-504th PIR, who is spearheading the barrier project said opening the market will help stimulate the economy by providing Iraqis with jobs. Due to this barrier removal, some businesses are able to view the Tigris River for the first time since 2004 and plan on reestablishing their businesses and lives. Judge said the process of returning to normalcy is the goal of the revitalization projects, adding that it is something the Iraqi people dearly need to see and taste again. |