Sprucing up Broadway between Interstate 45 and Hobby Airport was achieved with sycamores, crepe myrtles and oaks, just in time for Houston’s Feb. 5 Super Bowl in front of the world.

However, the ebullient crowd gathered Thursday morning said the recent improvements would last much longer.

“This isn’t a pop-up installation for the Super Bowl,” said Anne Culver, president of Scenic Houston, which led the beautification efforts. “This will be around for a while.”

Thursday marked the formal end of the project, with city, neighborhood and nonprofit leaders gathering to applaud the multi-agency effort to repair area drainage and add sidewalk and pedestrian crossing improvements.

“All these improvements bring new life to the community,” said Houston District I Councilman Robert Gallegos, whose district includes the airport and surrounding neighborhoods. “This area is transforming and only getting better.”

Crews spent most of 2016 building the esplanade along a two-mile stretch of Broadway, considered by many a major gateway for visitors because of the airport, spending $7.5 million in public and private funds.

The work included focused heavily on lighting, tree planting and landscaping to improve the appearance of the area, with Scenic Houston and Trees For Houston spearheading the plan to add 410 new trees – a mix of live oaks, elms, Mexican sycamores, water oaks, Monterrey oaks and Natchez crepe myrtles – along the roadway.

The Texas Department of Transportation, meanwhile, rebuilt the street as part of a $17 million project. Officials accelerated the beautification to work in tandem with the street rebuild and finish everything by the Super Bowl. Banners along the esplanade reference the upcoming game, essentially acting as the first community contact with visitors.

“There is no question this will create a lasting impression,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said of the project.