The elms are nearly naked now.

The slate sky of mid-autumn pokes through their crooked branches, and their brittle leaves skitter across the street below the erstwhile canopy. That street: Washington.

Though their leaves are gone, the elm trees still cast a long shadow along Washington Street. More than half a century long.

It took 50-plus years of debate, deliberation and decision for the city fathers and mothers to widen a short section of Washington that is lined with tall elms and historic homes. But the city commission finally chose to go ahead with the project, determining the blockage in one of the city's major arteries was too great to ignore.

On Sunday, local residents celebrated the end of six months of construction on the newly redesigned Washington Street. A center turning lane has been added, stoplights have been put up at Avenue C and most of the trees have been saved. Decorative piers, street signs and lights were erected, along with raised crosswalks. It cost taxpayers $2 million.

To show off the improvements, the city sponsored "The One and Only Washington Street Heritage Hike" on Sunday, giving maps of the area to anyone who wanted to stroll the four blocks between Rosser and D avenues.

After a generation of discussion, the city struck a compromise last year with Cathedral Area Historic District residents to preserve as much of the character of the neighborhood as possible, while still making Washington a viable throughway.

"In a compromise, nobody wins," said Erik Sakariassen, a Cathedral-area resident and member of a citizens' committee that met frequently with the city. "But, yeah, we're very pleased with it. It certainly handles the traffic flow very well. It looks very nice. People are pleased with it."

A recent traffic study showed 11,000 vehicles a day pass through the intersection of Washington and Avenue C. That number is expected to increase to 16,700 by 2025. The four blocks in the Cathedral area had been the worst kink in Washington Street's 10-mile hose. The street is seven lanes and 88 feet at its widest; prior to construction, the intersection at Avenue C was just two lanes and 28 feet.

"There's a downside to everything," Sakariassen said. "But I think this was a real brilliant solution to a very difficult situation."

Kurt and Pat Weinberg, who used to live along Washington in the Cathedral district, showed up for the celebration Sunday.

"I kind of like some of the things they've done here," Kurt Weinberg said. "I guess you've got to open up traffic somewhere, and it was certainly a compromise from when we lived there. They had been talking about a street much larger, on a much grander scale."

Weinberg doesn't have a problem with the city spreading out the cost among its tax base.

"I think it's everyone's responsibility to pay for the roads," he said. "That street, everyone drives on. I don't know why you'd pass it on to the homeowners specifically."

The map for the Heritage Hike featured descriptions of 11 historic homes and the offices of the North Dakota State Bar Association. The homes varied in architectural style, from prairie to art deco to Tudor.

The Cathedral Area Historic District comprises about 16 blocks in central Bismarck. Washington and Avenue C are its major roadways.

(Reach reporter Tony Spilde at 250-8260 or tony.spilde@bismarcktribune.com. For video of the event, check out the TribMedia section of http://www.bismarcktribune.com.)