One-way bridges will work poorly with the two-way streets needed for downtown’s revitalization. That was the conclusion of a traffic and economic development study reported yesterday to the Fairbanks Metropolitan Area Transportation System’s technical committee.
Sometime very soon, the FMATS Policy Committee will address the fact that one-way bridges will work poorly with the two-way streets needed for downtown’s revitalization. If strongly encouraged to do so, the policy committee may help set the stage for revitalization downtown. What you can do:
- Email FMATS Coordinator Donna Gardino to support for the two-way traffic conversion (Alternative 1) and its positive impact on revitalization djgardino@ci.fairbanks.ak.us
- Attend the FMATS Policy Committee meeting May 19 @ 10 AM in the DOT conference room 2301 Peger Road to support downtown revitalization
The study recommends that downtown’s north-south system be wholly a two-way system or a one-way system, but not both (excerpted recommendations or full report). Recognizing infrastructure’s role in economic development in an urban context, the study also recommended that Cushman and Barnette streets under any traffic scenario should be “equipped with on-street parking and pedestrian streetscape improvements and traffic signals should be timed to manage traffic speeds such that the 85th percentile travel speeds are less than 20 miles per hour.” Read News-Miner story here.
The Downtown Association of Fairbanks favors the two-way alternative as it does the most to set the stage for economic development downtown. Also, downtown’s north-south system cannot be wholly one-way: downtown’s current one-way “network” is broken. The only one-way “network” in the Borough, it is a remnant of a bygone day prior to the Steese Highway when pipe for TAPS needed to get through town.
Find out more at http://www.visionfairbanks.com