The City of St. John’s has finalized a plan for its downtown pedestrian mall this summer.

Water Street will look much the same as it did last year, with people free to roam the road from Adelaide to Prescott.

The greater challenge was placating business owners on Duckworth Street, many of whom were upset for being left out of last year’s plan.

To that end, two sections of Duckworth—from New Gower to Bates Hill, and Cathedral Street to Prescott—will be added to this summer’s mall.

That leaves businesses from Prescott Street to the Sheraton Hotel out of the mix, though they can still avail of the city’s parklet program to expand onto sidewalks and parking spaces.

Staff described efforts to include that section of Duckworth as a logistical nightmare, noting issues with numerous intersections, heavy truck traffic, Metrobus, and police safety concerns.

Polls done by the city showed overwhelming support to continue with the mall, but the numbers went down when Duckworth Street input was included. That prompted councilors to note it’s wrong to impede progress while waiting for perfection.

For now, the mall is set to run from July 2 to September 6 from noon to 10 p.m. daily.

The recommendations still have to go before city council for approval.