W. Broadway traffic study set by city

The City Council voted Monday night to try to put to rest a 37-year-old debate about whether to expand a corridor of West Broadway.

The council agreed to pay Crawford, Bunte, Brammeier Traffic and Transportation $67,800 to conduct a 120-day traffic study on the street between Garth Avenue and Fairview Road. One recommendation could be to widen the street to four lanes.

Expansion of the corridor has been an issue of neighborhood preservation versus access to downtown since the early 1970s. Residents’ main concern — maintaining the character of its historic corridor — has repeatedly been voiced as a reason against any suggested expansion. In 1980, residents voted against a then-proposed Broadway expansion.

Last year, Columbia residents proposed a new detailed compromise,

which called for buried power lines, utilities, new gutters and curbs. It argued that a 5-foot-wide sidewalk and low retaining walls around bicycle pedways would alleviate traffic without losing the neighborhood’s historic beauty.

The council agreed with the residents’ compromise, but it wanted a traffic study to be conducted first.

“Before we make a suggestion, we just need some good data,” City Manager Bill Watkins said.

The consulting firm approved Monday night will evaluate traffic flow in the corridor. The resulting data will serve as a benchmark for where the city can go next.

The study will count cars, find the busiest intersections, track trips and research accident data. To get the most accurate results possible, the study is dividing Broadway into two parts: from Garth Avenue to Clinkscales Road and from Clinkscales to Fairview Road. These two sections will show a contrast between commercial and residential sections.

At Monday’s meeting, Mayor Darwin Hindman said he was in favor of gathering the data, but he said he had some trepidation about focusing all energy on Broadway and thus ignoring parallel streets such as Worley and Ash streets.

“My concern is, what happens to Worley and Ash streets will affect Broadway, so those roads should be looked at,” Hindman said.

In response, John Glascock, director of Public Works, said the data from the study would be a starting point. If the firm finds that alternative roads should be looked at, he said, there would be a refocusing and further data would be gathered.

The consulting firm’s raw data, along with suggested improvements, is expected to be presented in a report to the council in early June. A public

hearing will be held before action is taken.