Residents pitch plan to ease traffic flow

Columbia residents who want to see West Broadway widened for pedestrians may meet opposition at a public hearing during tonight’s City Council meeting.

The city is considering spending $4.6 million to construct a sidewalk and pedway and to upgrade infrastructure along Broadway between Garth Avenue and West Boulevard. Much of the cost of the sidewalk and pedway construction would be covered by a federal grant awarded to Columbia last year to enhance nonmotorized transport.

If implemented, the project would eliminate the possibility of widening Broadway from two to four lanes. Many Columbia residents already consider traffic a major problem on Broadway.

The council recognizes the need to address traffic flow. According to a staff report issued Wednesday, instead of widening Broadway to four lanes, the city would create a special left-turn lane at three locations. The additional turn lane would allow both westbound and eastbound motorists to turn onto neighborhood streets without congesting traffic, the report said.

Although no traffic study has been conducted yet, the report said that the extra lane could alleviate traffic without constructing an additional lane in each direction.

Some residents, however, say that anything short of four lanes for Broadway does not account for future growth and traffic.

John Ott, a member of the Special Business District Board, owns property downtown. He said the proposal is inadequate as it relates to traffic reduction.

“If you’re looking for a long-term solution, I don’t think (the current proposal) would do the job,” he said. “This is not just about what’s happening today. Today is not as important as what’s going to happen. To not have an unencumbered ride downtown, that’s not good planning.”

Columbia resident Robert Tucker represented the neighbors of the Historic West Broadway area in March when he presented the council with a vision for Broadway. He has lived on Broadway since 1995 and also owns and operates a jewelry store downtown.

“Traffic is definitely not a problem,” Tucker said. However, he said there is about a half-hour period of westbound congestion in the evenings.

He said that traffic on Broadway is “absolutely not” affecting his business negatively.

“I’d hate to see four lanes downtown,” Tucker said. “To me (it) seems counterproductive.”

The council needs to decide about the possible widening before its members give the go-ahead for planned maintenance on Broadway.

Utility improvements would replace the water main, repair curbs and gutters and upgrade storm water facilities. Residents and city officials agree that it would make sense to combine the maintenance and road improvements into a single project.