NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Nashville Mayor Karl Dean says a new arts streetscape in the city's downtown will make dining outdoors and visiting art galleries on the street a more vibrant experience.

Dean, Metro Public Works and the Metro Arts Commission announced the Avenue of the Arts project on Friday.

It will encompass a block of Fifth Avenue between Church and Union streets.

The visual arts emphasis will improve connectivity between the activity on Broadway and other cultural institutions, such as the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and the Tennessee State Museum.

The project is expected to be completed in late summer, 2013.

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