An Urban County Council committee is holding off on endorsing a recommendation that the city begin the process of converting one-way streets on the north side to two-way.
A debate that’s been percolating in the community for more than a decade, one-way street conversion is once again on the front-burner in the Government Center as city leaders weigh the recommendations on offer in a $490,000 study conducted by Stantec.
On the question of whether the city should opt for conversion, project managers came back with three different answers depending on the section of town. South of downtown, the report showed negative impacts outweighing the positives while prospects on the north end appear more favorable. As for the downtown core, city planning director Chris King told the city Planning and Public Safety Committee Tuesday there are too many question marks for planners and residents.
"Primarily the most concern has probably been about Main Street and Vine Street since so many people that aren't even downtown people... think of that as their way through from being from one part of town to the other," he said. "And again that's what's so important about actually knowing and observing what the completion of Oliver Lewis Way will mean in terms of that traffic that is just using downtown to cut through."
King also pointed to the Town Branch Commons project as another variable that could affect traffic flow in the heart of the city. And until those projects are complete, he said, two-way conversion could be premature.
The planning committee took no action Tuesday, with some members urging patience as the city gathers more information.
