Bumps in the road: Jeffersonville business leaders express frustration with 10th Street plans

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Business owners raise their of hands in support of a left turn lane on the 10th Street redesign at a City of Jeffersonville meeting on Tuesday seeking input on the project. Staff photo by C.E. Branham
Conrad Moorer spoke out against a grass median the city of Jeffersonville currently has planned for 10th Street between Penn St. and Reeds Lane. Staff photo by C.E. Branham
Andy Crouch, City of Jeffersonville engineer

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January 18, 2011

By DAVID A. MANN David.Mann@newsandtribune.com The News and Tribune Tue Jan 18, 2011, 06:23 PM EST

JEFFERSONVILLE — Plans to install grassy medians — in lieu of turning lanes — as a part of a widening project on Jeffersonville’s 10th Street were met with jeers from business representatives during a Tuesday meeting at City Hall.

Many said that the medians would hurt their businesses, as it would keep traffic from turning left except at signalized intersections.

City leaders have recently favored the medians as a means of adding green space and slowing down traffic along the busy street through the center of the city.

For now, the project’s design team is still working on plans that include the medians. However, City Engineer Andy Crouch said he and other officials would discuss and consider Tuesday’s input — which included a hands-up vote from dozens of business leaders who said they preferred the turning-lane option.

There was agreement on the need for work along 10th Street, as those on both sides agree the road can’t efficiently handle its traffic load. Engineering firm Bernardin, Lochmueller & Associates are working on designs that would include widening, resurfacing and adding curbs, storm sewers and new sidewalks on 10th Street between Penn Street and Reeds Lane. The road was last resurfaced in 1991.

The work is expected to cost between $12 million and $15 million. City officials have said previously the project would be paid for with federal highway money allocated through the Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Authority.

The turning lanes vs. grassy medians debate has come up at a couple of different venues, most notably during a Dec. 20 meeting of the Tenth Street Area Business Association attended by about a dozen people.

During that meeting, a consensus was reached to move forward with the grassy medians plan. However, many at Tuesday’s meeting argued that too few people made the decision at that meeting. Others said they were unaware discussion of that aspect of the project was to take place Dec. 20.

In making the case for the medians Tuesday, Crouch cited three Federal Highway Administration surveys regarding similar projects that included raised medians. In one survey, he noted that 93 percent of business owners reported no decline in business; 78 percent reported no decline in business in another survey; and 67 percent reported no decline in a third survey.

Jerry’s Owner Mike Moore noted that small declines are still declines, regardless of degree.

“If we’re spending $12 million to rehab the main road in Jeff, shouldn’t we be trying to increase business?” asked Moore, who’s also a candidate for mayor. “I can’t afford a 33 percent decline in business. This idea is absurd.”

Allen Blevins, manager at O’Reilly Auto Parts, said he believed potential customers would go to other places if they had to make a U-turn at a light in order to get to his business.

“You put a median down the center — that’s going to cut my business down by one-third,” he said.

U-turns at traffic lights have been proposed as the primary solution to getting motorists to specific points on the other side of the median. That brings other issues to consider — including increased volume at traffic signals and disallowing right turns on red at cross streets.

Resident Steve Wylde asked if semi trucks would be forced to make U-turns. Crouch said truck traffic would have to be directed to either Ninth Street or Plank Road — a proposal that brought about more scorn from those in attendance.

Moore asked if residents on Plank Road or Ninth Street had been told that semi traffic would be directed there. Crouch answered, “no.”

Paul Fetter, general manager at the Clark County Auto Auction, said it “sounds like a small version of the [Ohio River] Bridges project,” a project Fetter has opposed for its inclusion of tolls for financing and scope.

The idea that all this was being done for the sake of green space was also questioned.

“There could always be green space on the side of the road,” said Arthur Kestler, a property owner on 10th Street.

EACH SIDE

In a previous interview, Crouch described the medians as similar to what now exist on Hurstbourne Parkway in Louisville. With a slideshow presentation, he went over pros and cons of each sides of the debate.

Two-way turning lanes would allow for continuous left turns, providing direct access to driveways and business entrances. The lanes reduce accidents by up to 33 percent compared to no turning lane, he said, citing Federal Highway Administration statistics.

On the other hand, it would be more pavement to maintain and drain and would require increased signs and pavement markings.

Raised medians reduce crashes by 35 percent and reduce traffic speeds by about 10 percent, Crouch said, again citing highway administration statistics. They also provide opportunities for landscaping and make it easier for pedestrians trying to cross.

He admitted medians would mean a loss of left turns at commercial driveways and make for larger volumes of traffic at signals. It would increase U-turns. And there would also be maintenance cost associated with keeping up the median strips.

After Tuesday’s meeting, Crouch said nothing has been finalized. He took names and e-mail addresses and pledged to keep those in attendance updated as the project moved forward.

The design phase of the project is expected to continue until early 2012, followed by right-of-way acquisition. Construction is expected to begin about August 2013, with completion in late 2014.

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Bumps in the road: Jeffersonville business leaders express frustration with 10th Street plans

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