By Jeffrey Morris
One of the busiest intersections on the Belknap campus, Third Street and Eastern Parkway, is about to undergo some improvements to make it more pedestrian-friendly. Larry Owsley, vice president for Business Affairs, said a crosswalk will be installed, possibly as soon as fall 2006.
Students who cross at the intersection daily say the changes can’t come fast enough. “It’s definitely a dangerous intersection,” said Tyler Sibley. “A lot of the problem is that traffic coming up Third Street can’t see the traffic signal very easily.”
U of L student Katherine Smith agreed. “People drive way too fast on these roads. … I think the speed limit should be reduced.”
Owsley said that U of L and state highway officials have been discussing ways to make the intersection safer for pedestrians for several years. Pedestrian bridges and reduced speed limits were considered, but officials ultimately decided to eliminate the continuous right turn for northbound Third Street onto eastbound Eastern Parkway, and to add a crosswalk. Currently, the nearest legal crosswalk is at the traffic signal for the Speed School entrance, which is a quarter of a mile walk down Eastern Parkway.
The crosswalk hasn’t been installed before because of the continuous right turn on northbound Third Street, which was added when the state mandated the roads as part of U.S. Alternate Route 60, the first beltline and thru truck route around the city. The route still carries a moderate amount of truck traffic.
In addition to the crosswalk, the state is also going to install a warning system that will alert oncoming trucks when they are too tall to make it through the railroad underpass. The warning system will prevent trucks from getting stuck in the underpass.
Other long-term projects in the works:
Owsley also said there are several other long-term projects that the school wants to implement to improve the safety and appearance of campus.
“Consideration is being given to narrowing the lanes on the Eastern Parkway Bridge to slow down traffic approaching the pedestrian crosswalk at the Speed School entrance, and also [to] adding a median on that bridge to make it more pedestrian friendly,” he said.
According to Owsley, the university would also like to repaint the railroad overpass on Third Street, between Eastern Parkway and Winkler Avenue, with a U of L theme similar to that of the Brandeis Avenue Bridge. The university is still negotiating the matter with the railroad companies that own the property. Owsley emphasized that all the projects but the crosswalk are pending funding and approval.
Maintenance issues addressed for Floyd Street area
Louisville Metro Engineer Tim Callahan said that Floyd Street from Warnock Avenue to Central Avenue will be repaved in July 2006. Owsley stated that Louisville Metro Public Works officials reviewed the road’s problems with the university and that some repairs have already been made.
Owsley also stated that they have attempted to have improvements made to the railroad crossing on Floyd Street, which is owned and maintained by Norfolk Southern, but that the company has not agreed to major improvements or replacement of the crossing.
Another problem is the lack of signage for U of L for traffic coming off the ramps from I-65 northbound. Currently, there are no signs for the school once one exits onto Warnock Street and Crittenden Drive. Owsley says they are working with a consultant group to provide signs around campus.
